India's Mirabai Chanu finishes third in group B of World Cup, all but qualifies for Paris Olympics

Mirabai Chanu (Pic: AFP)

Tokyo Olympics silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu all but qualified for the Paris Olympics after she finished third in the women's 49kg Group B event of the IWF World Cup on Monday.

Returning from a six-month injury lay off, Chanu lifted a total of 184kg (81kg+103kg) at the tournament, which is the final and a mandatory qualifier for the Paris Olympics.

With the completion of her event, Chanu has fulfilled the criteria for the Paris Olympics, which is participating in two compulsory events and three other qualifiers.

The 2017 world champion is currently ranked second in the women's 49kg Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) behind China's Jian HuiHua.

The official announcement for the qualification will come after the conclusion of the World Cup when the OQR will be updated. The top 10 lifters from each weight class will qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Chanu, who last competed at the Asian Games in September where she suffered a hip tendonitis injury, was not at her best, but was able to make five clean lifts.

Her lifts in the snatch and clean and jerk sections were nowhere close to her personal best efforts.

The 29-year-old has a personal best of 88kg in snatch while she had lifted the then world record of 119kg in clean and jerk at the Asian Championships in 2021.

But given that she is coming off an injury and rehab, Chanu still has time to peak in July and her progress looks good.

Chanu will be the lone Indian weightlifter at the Paris Games, which will be her third appearance at the Olympics.

Also Read: Mirabai Chanu to return to competitive action after 6-month injury layoff with eye on Olympic berth

The last time Chanu competed was at the Asian Games where her campaign ended in agony. The two-time Commonwealth Games champion suffered a dramatic fall on her back while attempting a clean and jerk lift, leading to her hip injury. She had to be carried out of the platform.

Coming off a long injury layoff, the 29-year-old is unlikely to attempt the much-awaited 90kg snatch lift or improve her clean and jerk effort.

"She is coming back from an injury, we will take it slow. She has already qualified so no point stretching her here. We want her to peak at the right time," head coach Vijay Sharma told PTI.

Chanu, who struggles with a back issue that affects her snatch, has been trying to breach the 90kg-mark since 2020.

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Bindyarani Devi is the other Indian in the fray. However, she is competing in the 55kg event, which is a non-Olympic weight class.

(With agency inputs)