India's best weightlifter and Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu had great joy at the warm and enthusiastic reception she received here at the Ahmedabad center in a few days. When speaking to the media on ANI she said she could hardly believe how big a crowd of Indians were there for her, the whole city of Ahmedabad welcomed her. Besides the warm welcome she received, she was very excited for India to host the Commonwealth Games. She says she has closely monitored the preparations for the first time in a year and is ready to do well in all the sports so as to make the country proud at home that India will be able to hold it together for that year.
Meanwhile Chanu is looking forward to new and ever-changing competitions but she has been given high-level administrative backing to pursue one of her long-standing goals. Union Minister of State for Ayush and Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav has written an independent letter to Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and has told him to take Mirabai Chanu for the Arjuna Award this year. In his official press release statement, Jadhav recognised the great achievements and transformational impact of the Manipuri weightlifter to Indian weightlifting and her great accomplishments in the past and dominant performance in several editions of the Commonwealth Games.
The Union Minister was particularly pleased with Chanu's remarkable achievement of winning consecutive gold medals at all Commonwealth Games events, for example, where she took out India's first gold medal once again on each of them to start. Jadhav also pointed out the fact that Chanu's 48 kg weight category is the best performing to her own record in the snatch, clean and jerk and total lift category, as she was able to win multiple golds in the snatch, clean and jerk and total lift category. While Chanu has already been awarded some of the nation’s biggest sports honors - the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Padma medal and an Olympic medal and the prestigious gold medal in India - still she is not able to realize her childhood dream of receiving the Arjuna Award from her childhood in Manipur that has been cherished since she was a kid.
Prataprao Jadhav, in his passionate plea to the Sports Ministry, said Mirabai Chanu’s Arjuna Award would be an appropriate tribute for her great talent, longevity and contribution in Indian sports, which is a wonderful one. He said her tough and inspiring journey from a poor village, Manipur to the very top in the world of weightlifting by which she achieved it is an outstanding example of determination and perseverance and the inspiration that she gives millions of young athletes in India is still inspiring today.
