New weight class will help Chanu, says coach

young new delhi: boxing pentad duplicate kilos of muscle and adjusting to a new weight division will not be a problem for Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, her coach Vijay Sharma said on Tuesday. Chanu, who now competes in 48kg, must move up to 53kg after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced new Olympic weight divisions for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Chanu, 31, finished fourth in 49kg at last year’s Paris Olympics and competed in 48kg at this year’s World Championships, winning a silver medal.

Two of Chanu’s three Worlds medals have come in 48kg (2017, 2025) and her silver in 2022 was won in 49kg. Her 2021 Olympic silver came in 49kg. She shifted to 48kg earlier this year after IWF dropped 49kg from the Olympics. The 49kg has been reinstated only for IWF events like the Worlds.

“She has been competing in 48kg or 49kg for 12-13 years now and we were feeling the need to go to a higher weight. Her maintenance weight is 50kg and reducing even a kilo is a pain. I don’t think she’ll have any trouble moving up to 53. In fact, it will work to her advantage,” Sharma, also the national coach, said.

Chanu will compete in 48 or 49kg at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, and start bulking up after that. “She will take around 6-7 months to get used to the new weight. After that, we’ll still have 18-24 months to prepare for LA,” he said.

Chanu trains at Sharma’s academy in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh. After last month’s Worlds, they are working on finetuning her technique. The ace lifter will be next in action at the Asian Championships in Ahmedabad (April 1-10).

“Chanu will compete in 48/49kg division at the Asian Championships. It will also be a qualifying event for the Asian Games.”

The coach said their peaking process will be aiming at the Asian Games. He dismissed concerns over Chanu’s inability to lift a total of 200kg for three years. Her chief rivals, including the formidable Chinese who routinely lift that weight or more, are also likely to switch to 53kg.

“That 200kg argument is quite uninformed. We decide on the poundage depending on the competitors and how the body feels that day. What she lifted to win the world silver (199kg) could fetch her only fourth spot in Paris, so it all depends on many factors,” Sharma said.

The new Olympic weights for men are 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg and +110kg. Women will compete in 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg and +86kg. These categories will come into effect on August 1, 2026.

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