Mirabai Chanu lifted Indian spirits with Tokyo silver but Weightlifting faces uncertain Olympics future

Mirabai Chanu lifted Indian spirits by winning a silver medal at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics but the sport's future is uncertain in the Olympics.

Mirabai Chanu's heartwarming tale of redemption at the Tokyo Olympics was the defining moment for Indian Weightlifting in a reasonably successful 2021 but the sport itself faced an uncertain future globally with long-standing governance and doping-related problems threatening its place in the Olympics going forward.

Chanu, a former world champion, had left the 2016 Rio Olympics in tears after failing to log a legitimate lift but five years on, she displayed the brilliant composure in Tokyo for a historic silver medal to bury the ghosts of the past.

This, despite the fact that her plans took a hit when the Olympics were postponed by a year, led to her schedule going haywire amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a confusing period filled with anxiety but then she knew how to pull herself out of the abyss, having done that remarkably well after Rio.