Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, an Olympic winner, made a triumphant comeback at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, where she took home the gold in the women’s 48 kg division. The silver medallist from the Tokyo Olympics finished first on the women’s 48 kg podium, lifting 193 kg in total, setting new Commonwealth Championship records in snatch, clean and jerk, and total. This includes new Commonwealth Championship records of 84 kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk.
The Indian weightlifter competed in 48 kg at the championships when the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) changed the weight divisions, eliminating Mirabai’s pet division of 49 kg. Mirabai Chanu’s fifth Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship medal comes from this competition. She previously won a silver medal in 2015 and gold in the 2013, 2017, and 2019 competitions. The weightlifting competition also serves as a qualifying event for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026, with the top finishers in each senior division earning a spot in the main event the following year.
Mirabai Chanu is leading India’s 16-member senior contingent, which consists of eight men and an equal number of women. Approximately 300 athletes from 31 countries are participating in the tournament. Additionally, there are four reserves: three women and one guy. Junior and youth lifters will also compete, and India will compete in all divisions.
