Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu urges the Indian weightlifting team to stay relaxed for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She advises them to handle pressure by focusing on their training and giving their best, expressing confidence in the team.
Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu said she has encouraged the Indian weightlifting team to stay relaxed despite the pressure of competing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games being held from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow here. The weightlifting events at the Commonwealth Games 2026 are scheduled to take place from July 26 to 30 at the SEC Armadillo.
Chanu, the two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, will compete in the women’s 48kg category, a division in which she has previously enjoyed significant success on the international stage. Apart from Chanu, India’s weightlifting team for the Commonwealth Games 2026 includes Gyaneshwari Yadav (53kg), Bindyarani Devi (58kg), Harjinder Kaur (69kg), Sanjana (77kg) and Martina Devi (+86kg), while the men’s squad includes Rishikanta Singh (60kg), M Raja (65kg), Ajaya Babu (79kg), Dilbag Singh (94kg) and Lovepreet Singh (+110kg).
‘Stay relaxed and give your best’
Speaking to ANI, Mirabai Chanu acknowledged that first-time competitors and high expectations for medals add to the pressure, but emphasised focusing on training, performing well on the day, and giving their best, expressing confidence in the team’s preparation. She said, “I tell the whole team to stay relaxed. Everyone feels pressure, especially those who are competing for the first time. The boys and girls competing for the first time also feel pressure. On top of that, everyone in India expects more medals from weightlifting this time. So, there is pressure, but we will try our best to keep the pressure aside and perform the way we have trained. If we give a good performance on stage, then everyone can definitely win a medal in weightlifting. But as for the rest, who knows what will happen on that day? We’ll see. But the whole team is doing well, and we will give our all.”
Chanu said she advises new athletes to treat the Commonwealth Games like any other competition and avoid taking extra pressure. She encouraged them to stay relaxed, trust their preparation and compete with the same mindset as they do at World or Asian Championships. “Some are new and haven’t participated in many international competitions. But I try to tell them that the games are the same. It’s not like the Games are different from Championships. If they think of them as different, it will create more pressure. So, I tell them that we have to compete just like we do on every stage, in every competition, whether it’s the Commonwealth, World, or Asian Championships. We have to fight the same way. There’s no need to think or do anything extra. That’s how I tell them to stay relaxed and work on everything with a relaxed mind,” she said.
Chanu’s decorated career
Chanu, one of India’s most decorated weightlifters, has won three Commonwealth Games medals so far–gold in Gold Coast 2018 (48kg), gold in Birmingham 2022 (49kg) and silver in Glasgow 2014 (48kg). A former world champion and Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, the 31-year-old last competed at the national championships in Modinagar in February, where she clinched the title in the 48kg category. She, however, missed the Asian Weightlifting Championships in May as she recovered from a shoulder injury sustained earlier this year.
Key members of the Indian squad
Chanu will be joined by fellow Birmingham 2022 medallists Bindyarani Devi and Harjinder Kaur, who will compete in the women’s 58kg and 69kg categories respectively. Both had won silver medals in the previous edition of the Games. In the men’s section, Commonwealth Games 2022 bronze medallist Lovepreet Singh will headline India’s challenge in the +110kg category.
India’s strong CWG weightlifting record
Rishikanta, Ajaya and Dilbag will make their Commonwealth Games debuts in Glasgow. India has maintained a strong record in Commonwealth Games weightlifting in recent editions, finishing among the top nations in both Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, where Indian lifters secured nine medals, including five golds. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)