Ace weightlifter and 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead the five-member Indian squad at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships. The prestigious event is set to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 4 to 17.
The upcoming weightlifting event has a special place because the competition will be a qualifying tournament for next year’s Paris Olympics, as per Olympics.com.
Chanu will participate in the women’s 49 kg category; however, 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships gold medal winner Bindyarani Devi will compete in the women’s 55kg affair.
Three male weightlifters are also set to take part in the upcoming competition. Achinta Sheuli will take part in the 73kg category alongside reigning national champion Narayana Ajith. Meanwhile, another weightlifter, Shubham Todkar, will be in the fray in the 61kg event.
Unfortunately, Youth Olympic Games champion Jeremy Lalrinnunga will not be seen in the Indian squad for the upcoming World Weightlifting Championships. He did not turn up for the trials due to injury.
The coming event will be the second competition for Mirabai Chanu of the year. The 28-year-old lifter from Manipur was out of the weightlifting competition for a long time following her hip surgery last December. She underwent a five-month rehabilitation programme, and last time she took part in the Asian championships in May, where she had to settle for sixth place.
It is needless to add that the forthcoming Weightlifting Championships 2023 will be a precursor to the Asian Games 2023, to be held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China. Apart from Shubham Todkar, the same weightlifters will represent India at the continental showpiece.