Mirabai Chanu Wins Silver, Ends India's Three-Year World Weightlifting Medal Drought

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women's 48kg category at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships in Norway, marking her third career medal at this event. She lifted a total of 199kg, with 84kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk, the latter matching her performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Despite struggling in the snatch phase with two failed attempts at 87kg, she successfully completed all three clean and jerk attempts, showcasing resilience and strength. Chanu, a former 2017 world champion and 2022 silver medallist, moved down from the 49kg division for this competition, continuing a strong legacy of Indian female weightlifters winning medals at the World Championships. The gold was claimed by North Korea's Ri Song Gum with a world record total of 213kg, while Thailand's Thanyathon Sukcharoen took bronze. Chanu's coach Vijay Sharma praised her determination and highlighted the strategic management of her weight and recovery post-2024 Paris Olympics, underscoring her continued status as one of India's greatest athletes.