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HomeIndia‘Proud moment’ — Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu joins Manipur Police as ASP...

‘Proud moment’ — Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu joins Manipur Police as ASP (sports)

Mirabai Chanu, who belongs to Nongpok Kakching village in Manipur’s Imphal East, made history last year by winning India’s first-ever Olympic silver medal in weightlifting.

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Guwahati: Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year, was inducted into the Manipur Police Saturday. She was awarded the job last year in honour of her Olympic feat. 

The 27-year-old has taken charge as additional superintendent of police (sports) in the Manipur Police, a development she recorded in a series of tweets that expressed gratitude to her parents as well as Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) January 15, 2022

 

Chanu also called on Biren Singh Saturday. Following the meeting, Singh described Chanu as “our nation’s pride”.

About Mirabai Chanu’s journey

Chanu, who belongs to Nongpok Kakching village in Manipur’s Imphal East district, made history last year by winning India’s first-ever Olympic silver medal in weightlifting.  

She comes from a family that has no background in sports. Her father was a government employee, while her mother sold samosas on the streets.

Her mother had told ThePrint for an earlier report that the Olympic medallist had wanted to pursue archery, but couldn’t do it because she wasn’t tall enough for the sport.

Chanu’s talent was recognised early on by Anita Chanu, a former international weightlifter and coach, and she went on to train at the sports academy in Manipur. 

Chanu has earlier won a silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the 48-kg category. In 2016, she qualified for the Rio Olympics but was unable to pull off a successful lift. 

In 2017, she won the gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in the US. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Chanu won the gold medal and broke the record for the 48-kg category. 

She also went on to win the bronze in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championship.

(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)


Also Read: In her Manipur village, Mirabai Chanu’s family prepares for a feast to celebrate Olympic feat


 

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