India's chief weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma believes Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu should not be pushed to chase a third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold, saying the focus should remain on keeping her fit for the 2026 Asian Games.
Mirabai, who is aiming for her fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games medal, is set to compete in the women's 48kg event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
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However, Sharma said it would not be wise to put additional pressure on the 31-year-old, whose long-term goal is to secure her maiden Asian Games medal.
Mirabai lifted a total of 205kg at the National Championships in Modinagar in February before withdrawing from the Asian Championships in Gandhinagar in May due to a shoulder injury.
Speaking about her preparations, Sharma said the priority is to ensure Mirabai remains injury-free, with the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, scheduled from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2026, taking precedence over the Commonwealth Games.
Mirabai Chanu is yet to win an Asian Games medal.
“For Mira, the CWG will be like a practice event before the Asian Games. A total of 190-195kg should be enough for her to win the CWG gold medal. Irrespective of the total, a gold is a gold. Her main target is medalling at the Asian Games,” Vijay told Sportstar.
Mirabai has enjoyed an impressive record at the Commonwealth level. She won the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad by a commanding 32kg margin after registering a combined lift of 193kg.
Apart from Mirabai, V. Ajaya Babu will be among India's leading medal contenders in the 79kg category, while M. Raja has an outside chance of winning gold in the 65kg division.
India's hopes of matching its 10-medal haul from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games four years ago have taken a drastic hit after four positive dope tests, including that of N. Ajith (71kg), who was a strong gold medal prospect.
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The violations resulted in a reduction in India's quota for the Games, making another double-digit medal tally a difficult task.
Ahead of the competition, the 12-member Indian weightlifting team trained for more than three weeks at Wolverhampton University in Birmingham before travelling to Glasgow for the Games.
Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women's 48kg final on Sunday, July 26, at 6:30 pm IST.
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