Mirabai Chanu qualifies for the Paris Olympics 2024 after finishing third in the women’s 49kg Group B event

Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, Mirabai Chanu Indian secured her place in the Paris Olympics 2024 by finishing third in Group B of the women's 49 kg weight category at the IWF World Cup on Monday. 

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Mirabai, who returned after six months due to injury, lifted a total of 184 kg (81 kg and 103 kg). This is the final and mandatory qualifier tournament for the Paris Olympics 2024. With the completion of her competition, Mirabai has fulfilled the criteria set for the Paris Games, which include participating in two mandatory tournaments and three other qualifiers in Weightlifting. 

Mirabai is currently ranked number two in 49kg category

India's 2017 world champion Mirabai is currently ranked second in the women's 49kg Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) behind China's Jiang Huihua. The official announcement of the qualifying players will be made after the conclusion of the World Cup when the OQR will be updated. The top 10 lifters from each weight category will qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Mirabai had last participated in the Asian Games in September last year where she got injured. She could not perform at her best but she did not make any mistakes in lifting the weight five times. She could not even come close to her best performance in snatch and clean and jerk. The 29-year-old has a personal best of 88 kg in snatch, while she had set a world record of 119 kg in clean and jerk at the Asian Championships in 2021. 

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Mirabai has just recovered from the injury and still has time to peak in July and her progress looks good. Mirabai will be the only Indian weightlifter to participate in the Paris Olympics 2024. This will be the third time that she will participate in the Olympics.