Mirabai Chanu finally achieved the Asian Games landmark that has long eluded her throughout her decorated career and she won a silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. And just after receiving the historic medal, she sent a letter to the government to ask for the Arjuna Award.
Chanu finished second in 49kg with a combined lift of 198kg. She had an 87kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song-gum took gold while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri took bronze.
Mirabai Chanu requests Arjuna Award
After the medal-winning performance, Chanu openly expressed her desire to receive the Arjuna Award, which is one of India’s most prestigious national honors in sports. She said she does not currently have the award and would be pleased if the government took her performance for the honour.
“I don't have it. I want it,” Chanu said. She also expressed her happiness at the prospect of receiving the recognition and said she hoped the government would consider her achievements.
The request came just moments after she finished one of the remaining gaps in her medal collection. Chanu has an Olympic silver medal, a World Championship medal, and several Commonwealth Games medals, plus a single gold medal from the 2008 Olympics. Her Asian Games silver medal now adds yet another major international medal to her medal list.
The history of Asian Games silver ends 28-year wait.
Chanu’s silver medal also had significance beyond her individual achievements. Her podium medal was an end to India’s 28-year wait in the Asian Games for a weightlifting medal. The last Indian weightlifting medal at the Games had been won by Karnam Malleswari, who won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.
For Chanu, it was particularly meaningful because the Asian Games medal had not been part of other international records. She had previously failed at the continental event, missing the 2018 edition due to injury and finishing fourth at the Hangzhou Games.
Her first Asian Games appearance was at the 2014 Incheon Games, where she placed ninth. After missing the 2018 edition, she returned to the competition in 2023 and narrowly missed the podium. The silver in Nagoya finally ended that wait.
Emotional moment for Mirabai Chanu.
The medal’s significance was evident in Chanu’s reaction after the competition. She said she had dreamed of winning an Asian Games medal for many years and ultimately achieving the goal was an emotional moment.
She’s had big achievements and injuries and tough times too. She became an Olympic medallist and world champion as well as building a record at the Commonwealth Games. The Asian Games silver completed her collection of medals from the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games.
Chanu’s victory also added yet another chapter to the story of Indian weightlifting. Her Olympic success had already made her one of the country’s most recognizable weightlifters and her Asian Games performance has galvanised the sport even more.
Arjuna Award Would Add To Her Honours.
Chanu has already received some of India’s highest sporting and civilian awards. She was awarded the Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour, in 2018 and also the Padma Shri in the same year.
The Arjuna Award, if she were to be awarded and received, would further add another national sporting honour to her list of achievements.
For now, the Asian Games silver remains the immediate highlight of Chanu’s recent campaign. Her 198kg total was a long-awaited continental medal and ended India’s nearly three-decade wait for a weightlifting podium finish at the Asian Games.
Chanu’s request for the Arjuna Award has added another talking point to an already historic day. After years of chasing an Asian Games medal, the 32-year-old finally completed that part of her career record—and then publicly expressed her hope for an honour that she says is still missing from her list of achievements.
