IMAGE: India’s Mirabai Chanu Saikhom falls after failing to lift cleanly in the Olympics women's 49kg weightlifting competition in Paris on Wednesday. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters
India’s Mirabai Chanu came tantalisingly close to clinching a second Olympics medal but a faltered lift in her final attempt cruelly snatched the dream from her grasp, leaving her with a fourth place finish in the women's 49kg weightlifting event in Paris on Wednesday.
Mirabai, who turns 30 on Thursday, lifted a total of 199kg (88kg+111kg) at the South Paris Arena. It was 3kg less than what she heaved at the Tokyo Olympics (202 kg) for the silver medal.
Mirabai could manage only three lifts out of the six attempts. She had only one successful lift in the clean and jerk section.
The former World champion had done well to keep herself in medal contention after the snatch event but her failure to lift 114kg in her final clean and jerk attempt cost her dearly.
Had she succeeded she would have bagged the bronze medal.
"I am happy with the performance because I managed this despite having very little time for recovery," Mirabai told reporters.
"I was managing 85 in practice and I did it in the competition too. I was confident about clean and jerk also. It was my third day of the women's problem and that also affects you a bit," she added.
Mirabai said the strategy was devised by her coach and she just followed the plan.
"It was going good; whatever the coach said I did. It is just destiny that I did not get medal, I did my best," she said, with a smile.
China's Hou Zhihui smashed the clean and jerk Olympic record as she successfully defended her title with an effort of 206kg (89kg+117kg).
Romania’s Mihaela Cambei took the silver with a total of 205kg (93kg+112kg) while Surodchana Khambao bagged the bronze for her effort of 200kg (88kg+112kg).
Wearing gold earrings, shaped like Olympic rings, presented by her mother ahead of the Rio Games, Mirabai began with a modest 85kg on the barbells, which she smoothly lifted.
Having reached the Paris Games on the back of an injury-plagued Olympic cycle, she did will to keep herself in the mix after the snatch section, her Achilles heel.
However, to her disbelief, she fluffed her second lift while attempting to equal her personal best of 88kg.
But the former World champion put herself in the mix as she successfully snatched 88kg in her final attempt.
Cambei led the proceedings after the snatch section as she lifted 93kg in her final attempt while Zhihui, who could manage only two legal lifts, was 4 kgs behind the Romanian at 89kg.
Mirabai was off to a shaky start in the clean and jerk. She was last to take her first attempt. While she cleaned 111kg, the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist was unable to execute the second part.
She immediately made a second attempt at the same weight and much to her and the Indian coaches relief she lifted the barbell.
But things went awry for the Manipuri as she failed her final attempt of 114kg, 5kg less than her personal best in clean and jerk.
