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| Mirabai Chanu with the silver medal |
On Saturday, Indian Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu ended India's 21 year wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics as she grabbed a silver medal in the 49kg category. With this, she opened India's medal account in this year's event.
The 26-year-old athlete, lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari's record set in the 2000 Sydney Olympics which saw her claim a bronze medal.
It was a much better performance from Chanu as she defeated the demons of her past performance in the 2016 Event where she failed to log a single legitimate lift.
The Gold went to China's Hou Zhihui with an effort of 210kg (94kg+116kg). Aisah Windy Cantika of Indonesia grabbed the bronze medal with an effort of 194kg (84kg+110kg).
Chanu ended the snatch round with a best valid lift of 87kg. In the Clean and Jerk, she bested the first two round with 110kg and 115kg respectively but failed in her final attempt to 117kg.
"It's like a dream come true for me. I would like to dedicate this medal to my country and would like to thank the billion prayers of all Indians" said Chanu.
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