Commonwealth gold medalist Mirabai Chanu will undergo a five-month rehabilitation programme at NIS Patiala to nurse her shoulder and back injuries.
With a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in August and a silver medal at the world championships in December, the 2022 season was fruitful for the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist.
For the Indian weightlifter, there were some injury-related concerns due to back trouble and a wrist injury she sustained during a training session in September, Mirabai Chanu missed the Asian championships in October due to her injuries.
The 28-year-old Manipur native and her support team will first focus on strengthening her shoulder and rotator cuff during their stay at the NIS Patiala before tackling the back problem. The strain on Mirabai Chanu's left wrist from her shoulder and back ailments was visible throughout the world championships as per the Olympic website.
The first of several competitions that would serve as Olympic Games qualifiers for Paris in 2024 was the World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota. At the NIS Patiala, Mirabai Chanu is anticipated to restore her fitness before the Asian championships, an Olympic qualifying event slated for May.
Her next significant competitions will be the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the global championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Asian Championships. Both events are scheduled for September 2023.
Earlier, Mirabai bagged a silver medal at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia. She lifted a total of 200kg (87kg snatch + 113kg clean & jerk), 2kg more than the Olympic champion from China Hou Zhihua (198kg) and 6kg behind another Chinese, Jiang Huihua (206kg: 93+113) who won the gold medal. Hou Zhihui of China took bronze with 198 (89kg plus 109 kg).
This was Mirabai's second World Championship medal, having previously won gold at the 2017 championsgip event with a lift of 194kg (85kg plus 109kg). She came in fourth place in the 2019 edition.
(With Inputs from ANI)
