Førde, Norway, October 3 (Sports Desk)
Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu clinched a silver medal in the women’s 48kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Førde, Norway, on Thursday, securing India’s first medal in the competition since 2022. Competing in her first World Championship since that year and her second event after a fourth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Chanu lifted a total of 199kg (84kg snatch + 115kg clean and jerk) to claim second place overall.
Chanu began impressively in the snatch, successfully lifting 84kg on her first attempt but failing to register valid lifts at 87kg in her subsequent tries. Her 84kg effort earned her a bronze in the snatch segment. In the clean and jerk, she opened with 109kg, followed by 112kg, and capped her performance with a 115kg lift, securing silver in both the clean and jerk and the overall tally.
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The gold medal was claimed by defending champion Ri Song-gum of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, who set a new world record in the clean and jerk with 122kg, totaling 213kg (91kg snatch + 122kg clean and jerk). Thailand’s Thanyathon Sukcharoen took bronze with a total of 198kg (88kg snatch + 110kg clean and jerk).
Chanu’s performance comes after her 199kg (88kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk) effort in the 49kg category at Paris 2024. Her history at the World Championships is illustrious: she won gold in the 48kg category in Anaheim 2017 with 194kg (85kg snatch + 109kg clean and jerk), becoming India’s first World Championship gold medallist since Karnam Malleswari’s wins in 1994 and 1995. In 2022, she secured silver in the 49kg category in Bogotá with 200kg (87kg snatch + 113kg clean and jerk). In 2023, she registered a weigh-in but skipped lifting in the 49kg category to avoid injury during an Olympic qualifying event.
This silver marks India’s 18th medal at the World Weightlifting Championships, with the country’s tally comprising three golds, 10 silvers, and five bronzes—all won by women. Last month, Chanu made a strong return to competition, winning gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Ahmedabad with a total of 193kg (84kg snatch + 109kg clean and jerk).
