The first Tokyo Olympic 2020 Indian medal holder Mirabai Chanu landed at Delhi airport on Monday evening after her successful campaign at the Summer Games in Tokyo. The 27-year-old arrived to a rousing reception in the national capital with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' among others.
Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian athlete to win a medal on the first day of the Olympics and is only the second after Karnam Malleswari to clinch a medal in weightlifting in over two decades.
The Manipur athlete was escorted out of the airport by security personnel while the airport staff cheered her on. Mirabai, who was wearing her India training jersey, did not have the silver medal around her neck though.
Mirabai Chanu opened the country's account with silver in the women's 49 kg category at the Tokyo Games, finally exorcising the ghosts of her disastrous outing in the Rio Games five years ago. For the former world champion, this was the one medal she has been desperately waiting for.
The iron lady from Manipur lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari's bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. With this, she exorcized the ghosts of the 2016 Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate lift, leaving her shattered.
Mirabai broke down after realizing that she has secured a medal and hugged head coach Vijay Sharma in jubilation.
