Chandigarh: On Saturday, when Saikhom Mirabai Chanu stood on the podium in Tokyo with a silver medal on his neck, two of his former mentors in seven medals of World Championship Kunjarani Devi and his former teammate Anita Chanu, could not control their emotions as they remembered the years Formative Superstar of Indian new weightlifting.
Coming from a weightlifting nest in Manipur, Mirabai’s Tryst with the sport came in the 1990 Beijing Asian Games participant training center at Khuman Lampak Stadium, in Luwiyangbam in North Manipur, about 22 km from Mirabai Village from Nongpok Kakching.
The youngest of six siblings, Mirabai’s father Saikhom Kriti Singh is a construction worker with the State Public Works Department, and Mrs.
Saikhom Tombi Devi runs a small tea shop in the village.
Anita remembered how Mirabai lived in homemade black and white rice, and boiled vegetables for four years of intensive training at its academic.
(Photo of PTI) “Silver Mirabai in Tokyo has fulfilled my dream to establish an academy who can produce an Olympic medalist.
But what makes the journey sweeter is the determination to make it big regardless of the difficulties he faces when growing up in the middle class family,” recalled Anita during interaction.
“The first time I saw it, he might be 9 years old, and he would comfortably lift around 70kilos, which doubled his weight.
And believe me, he will live in boiled vegetable homes and black rice.
Today his perseverance has paid off,” Anita added.
“The best part of childhood Mirabai is he never complained no matter how tight the training schedule was, he would live it without a word,” he said further.
Because of being asked the secret of the country producing so many weightlifting, Chanu said the average Manipuri had the right building for weightlifting, “short but with good muscle mass”, especially for lower weight categories.
The young man continued to become a junior national champion in Chhattisgarh in 2009 before entering the National Camp in 2011, when he came under former teammate Anita and 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Nameinakpam Kunjarani Devi.
“I first met him during the youth national camp in 2011.
I used to receive feedback about him from the coach in Manipur, there was a spark, determination and willingness in the young man.
He has always been a pleasure of the coach, and will religiously hold on to The rules set by the coach, “Kinang Kunjarani, known as Hercules from Manipur.
“During that time, he had a good muscle mass, and seemed to be a great prospect.
I work with him until around 2015-16, even during the South Asian match in Guwahati,” he added.
“Even after 2016, when I left the National Camp for another task, I used to trace Mirabai’s progress, when he brought one billion hopes to Tokyo, his medal gave our belief in him, he had made us proud,” both.
“- Asian games bronze medals The total combined 205kg in the Asian championship in Tashkent.
Now after he completed his mission in Tokyo, Chanu’s household in Nongpok Kakching with enthusiasm awaits him to prepare his favorite dishes, especially urches, stew fish and vegetables that are lightweight and celebrate his resurrection as the latest Indian poster girl ,
Former Mentor Anita & Kunjarani remembered a long trip Chanu
