TEARS OF JOY
Chanu breaks down on meeting mother after reaching hometown
Imphal, July 27: It was an emotional homecoming for newly-crowned Olympic silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu, who broke down on meeting her mother here on Tuesday before being felicitated by Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh at the airport.
Much like the reception at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, Chanu was met with media frenzy at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport here.
A stringent training regimen after the 2016 Rio Games had limited Chanu’s visits to home for the past five years.
Chanu, who won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category on Saturday, was seen hugging her mother Saikhom Ongbi Tombi Leima and her father Saikhom Kriti Meitei with tears rolling down her face as security guards formed a ring around her.
The now famous gold earrings, shaped like the Olympic rings, that Chanu sported at the Games were a gift from her mother who sold her own jewellery for them five years ago ahead of the Rio Games in the hope of bringing the weightlifter luck. The 26-year-old hails form Nongpok Kakching village, which is around 25km from here.
From the airport, Chanu went to attend a Manipur state government felicitation, which was hosted by the chief minister.
The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
MIRABAI RECALLS SHOULDER ISSUE
Training tirelessly, staying away from family and maintaining a strict diet for five years finally culminated in the moment Mirabai had been desperately waiting for — standing atop the Olympic podium but it almost didn’t happen.
The postponement of the Tokyo Games and a break in training due to the lockdown last year brought with it a shoulder issue for the weightlifter that could have led to a completely different result, something Chanu had been worried about.
“When I started training after the lockdown, my back started getting tight and my right shoulder had some issue. It was not an injury but it would get tight while lifting heavy weight,” Chanu said.
“It happened because I had stopped training during the lockdown and my body,” she added.
Chanu had been confined to the National Institute of Sports in Patiala when a nationwide lockdown was announced last year.
Resuming training after months of staying inside her room, Chanu developed the shoulder issue. This severely affected her performance in snatch, one of the two events in weightlifting. To rectify it, she flew to the US to get treatment last year.
`2 CRORE REWARD AND PROMOTION
Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday felicitated Mirabai and announced a reward of `2 crore and a promotion in her job in the Northeast Frontier Railway.
The minister said she has inspired billions around the world with her talent, handwork and grit.
“She has inspired billions around the world with her talent.”