Indian ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu nominated for Arjuna award


Indian ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu nominated for Arjuna award
Credit-IWF via PTI

Indian ace lifter Mirabai Chanu has been nominated for the Arjuna award by the weightlifting federation. Former World champion Mirabai Chanu has been already awarded with Khel Ratna, nation’s highest sporting honour. She has nominated for Arjun award this year along with Ragala Venkat Rahul and Punam Yadav.

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In 2018, Chanu had received the Khel Ratna along with Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. She was additionally awarded the Padma Shri — the nation’s fourth-highest civilian award.

In 2017, she was crowned world champion in Women’s 48 kg category after lifting a competition record 194 kg in total (85 kg snatch and 109 kg clean & jerk) in Anaheim, CA, United States. After her success in world championship in 2017, Chanu had received the both awards.

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Chanu said in a statement that “I know Khel Ratna is the highest but I missed out on the Arjuna award earlier and I want it too. Sometimes you want all of it. Players like to get the Arjuna award”.

“I had also applied for Arjuna award in 2018. We had applied for both the Arjuna award and the Khel Ratna then,” she stated.

Question asked from IWLF secretary Sahadev Yadav that if athlete who has already been awarded the Khel Ratna, could be nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award? Then Yadav stated it’s possible.

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After recovering from an injury she improved her performance. She has lifted 86kg in snatch and a personal of 113kg in clear and jerk for a complete of 199kg on the Asian Championships in April 2019, she missed bronze medal by a whisker.

In September 2019 she crossed 200 mark at World Championship, where she lifted 87kg in snatch, 114kg in clean and jerk for a complete of 201kg.

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The 23-year-old Rahul, who has won gold in Commonwealth Championships and in addition won the yellow metallic on the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

On the other hand, Punam won silver medal in Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and the gold at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The last weightlifter to receive the Arjuna award was two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sathish Sivalingam in 2015.