Mirabai Chanu has been known to carry a smile irrespective of the situation that surrounds her. For years the celebrated weightlifter has enjoyed her victories with twinkle in her eyes. However, Sunday night in Glasgow was different.
The Olympic silver medalist was in tears as she took the top spot on the podium at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. With the gold medal around her neck, the weightlifting arena playing the Indian national anthem and the Tri-colour being raised, the 31-year-old, could not hold back her tears.
The video of crying Mirabai touched the hearts of the sports fans and it quickly became viral on the internet.
Minutes later, Mirabai, now a four-time Commonwealth Games medalists, opened up about her win in an interview to NDTV.
"This medal wasn't easy," Mirabai told NDTV.
"I had to deal with injuries, change weight categories and constantly control my body weight. Every day was about deciding what I could eat and what I couldn't. Age is not on my side either."
"When I stood on the podium and the national anthem started playing, I remembered everything I had gone through in these last few years. Those were tears of happiness. I couldn't stop them. I had worked so hard for this medal," she said.
Behind the emotional celebration was a remarkable sacrifice. To ensure she remained within her weight category, Mirabai revealed she had barely eaten and deliberately stayed dehydrated in the three days leading up to the competition.
"I haven't really eaten properly for the last three days. Right now, I only feel like drinking water. I'll have dinner a little later," she said after completing the medal ceremony and anti-doping formalities.
The victory is especially significant because it came nearly two years after the heartbreak at the Paris Olympics, where Mirabai narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth while battling both a hip injury and menstrual pain.
"After Paris, I went through a lot. I missed out on a medal there. I was struggling with a hip injury and, on the day of competition, I was also dealing with menstrual pain. Every woman understands how difficult that can be. But as athletes, we still have to step on the platform and compete for India," she said.
Instead of allowing the disappointment to define her, Mirabai used it as motivation.
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"Winning and losing are both part of sport. Every competition teaches you something. You learn what went wrong and what you need to improve. That's how you come back stronger," she said.
Although it was her third successive Commonwealth Games gold, Mirabai believes this one stands apart because of the challenges she overcame off the platform.
"Every gold medal is special because each one has its own story. This one is different because of everything I had to overcome. Managing my weight, recovering from injuries and dealing with pain made this journey much harder. Earlier, I could simply focus on training. Now I have to manage many more things around my body as well. That's why this gold gives me immense satisfaction," she said.
Looking ahead, Mirabai said her attention has already shifted to the Asian Games, while also urging young athletes to stay patient through both victories and defeats.
"There will be difficult moments. Sometimes you'll win medals, sometimes you won't. If you win, stay focused on what's next. If you lose, learn from it and work on improving. That's what every athlete has to do," she said.
For Mirabai, Sunday's tears were not those of relief alone. They were the culmination of years of pain, sacrifice and perseverance — making her latest Commonwealth Games gold perhaps the most emotional victory of her illustrious career.
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