The cameras moved on, the emotions of the medal ceremony had already settled. Mirabai Chanu’s fourth Commonwealth Games medal confidently hung around her neck. Back home it was past midnight and her family was fast asleep by the time all the formalities wrapped up. Mirabai then had a peaceful moment with her long-time coach Vijay Kumar, who has shared every emotion of her journey. Together they revisited the struggles, the heartbreak of missing out on a medal in the Paris Olympics, the injury that kept her out of action and most importantly the efforts put which went in over the past four years to bring her back on the podium. The conversation was not about winning the gold but it was about everything that had gone into winning it. Back in India, Mirabai confidently wore the medal that represents years of resilience. “My family had slept by the time I got free. I sat down with (Vijay) Sir and spoke about all that we had faced in the last four years,” Mirabai told The Bridge on her return from Glasgow on Sunday. Mirabai was just 19 when she first stepped onto the Commonwealth Games podium, winning silver in women’s 48kg category in 2014 Glasgow. Twelve years and three editions later, the weightlifter from Manipur completed a golden hat-trick, with her 2026 title being her third consecutive CWG gold. “I am very happy that I had won a silver medal in Glasgow (2014) then it was the beginning of my Commonwealth Games campaign. After that I won three golds for India. I am happy I could do that,” Mirabai reflected. "Every player goes through a lot of changes. I am now 31, I was 19 then. The focus then was only on performance, but now to maintain that performance with age…
This report has been adapted by the PurePlay Sports Desk from coverage by The Hindu Sportstar, Khel Now, The Bridge, Google News — India Sports.