Tokyo: India weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has made India proud by winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Talking about her big feat, Mirabai said that she was determined to give her best, calling the 2016 Rio Olympics a learning curve for her.
The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari's bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
This comes as a point of redemption for her who had failed to log a single legitimate lift in the 2016 Games.
"I am very happy that I have won the medal. The entire country was watching me and they had their expectations, I was a little nervous but I was determined to give my best. In 2016, I did not have a good show but it proved as a learning curve for me and I got to know where I need to improve. I worked really hard for this," Chanu told reporters at the Mixed Zone after winning the silver medal.
"When I reach India, I will go straight to my home, it has been a long time that I have not been home. It has been 1-2 years that I have not gone home and spent some time with my family. There is no plan as such, but I'll party today (laughs)," she added.
When asked if she thought she could go for gold, Chanu said: "I tried my best to win the gold medal, I was not able to win the gold, but I really tried. When I did the second lift, I understood I'll bring a medal along with me."
With her historical win, Chanu has become the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari who bagged bronze in the 69kg category at the 2000 Sydney Games when the weightlifting arena had women participation for the first time.
(With Agency Inputs)