Mirabai Chanu LIVE Updates, Weightlifting women’s 49kg at Paris 2024 Olympics: Sole weightlifter from India eyes second Olympic medal

A lack of control will see a ‘No Lift’ for Zhihui at 89kg. This is the first time we get a glimpse of the reigning champion tonight.

Khambao gets an 88. She took all her time but the lift will stand.

Chanu gets the 88 all right! It gets one red light, which means the lift will be under review. Looks okay in the replays. Vijay clenches his fist, a happy man.

Another failed attempt as the commentator remarks that a lot of athletes are underperforming today.

Delacruz visibly frustrated as she fails at 88. Very uncharacteristic of her.

Khambao drops it at 88 as well.

Chanu is back. She greets the crowd with her customary bow. She drops the bar. Coach Vijay Sharma puts a hand on his forehead as Chanu mouths a few inaudible words directed at her coach.

Piron Candelario, a bit wide in her stance, makes a mess of the 88kg lift.

The bar drops. Delacruz fails to register an 87kg lift. She applies an electronic massager on her thighs in the back room. Will she go for a higher weight to stay in the medal hunt?

Sterckx has been eliminated from the contest after three unsuccessful attempts. The emotions take over as she waves to the crowd.

Echandia Zarate, who is wearing a necklace with the Paris 2024 logo, will have to stay content with 83 in snatch.

Fang’s last attempt. 86kg it is. It is a powerful lift. She held it low for quite some time before powering her way up.

Sterckx to go again. Meanwhile, Jourdan and Chanu have revised their second attempts to 87kg and 88kg, respectively. Not to be for Sterckx. She will have to register a third lift to stay in the competition.

Echandia Zarate to try and lift 86kg now. Just too far forward and the bar falls behind. She thumps the groud in frustration.

Sterckx to attempt a lift of 86kg. She gets it too quick off the floor and falters.

86 on the bar for Khambao on her Olympic debut. She was the South East Asian Games gold medallist two years ago. The green light comes on.

Not to be for Rira at 85. She will have one more attempt in snatch. She will stay alive in competition with 83kg. She will try to squeeze in her last attempt now itself after a minute’s breather. Not to be. She will have to be content with 83kg in snatch.

Shouts of “India! India!” and we all know who is set to grace the floor next. 85 to start. It’s a clean lift and she will move into joint lead in snatch with Piron Candelario.

An impressive opener from Piron Candelario at 85. She is still a kg shy of her best mark.

Delacruz, who was in bronze medal position after snatch in Tokyo, will be in action next. She is a medal contender here as well. 84 and done! She jumps into the lead.

Rosina fails to lift 83. 80 will stay on as her best mark today.

Fang goes up three kilos in her second attempt. 83 on the board. A kg shy of her personal best with one attempt remaining in snatch.

A lot of support for Echandia Zarate, who opens with 83kg. She is absolutely elated as she celebrates the successful attempt with her coach.

Rira runs the clock down and with three seconds remaining, she lifts 83kg.

80. DONE. AND. DUSTED. She is very happy with the effort. An 83 next.

A no-nonsense 80kg lift from Fang. She signals a small salute in celebration.

Rosina lets out a loud roar before nailing the 75kg attempt. Her PB in snatch is 77kg. She will be going for 80kg next.

Lagatao will go for a 62! That’s three over what she has lifted before. And the 32-year-old drops the bar and walks out amid a round of applause.

Lagatao wears a confident smile as the athlete from Guam successfully lifts 59kg.

Lagatao, who has the lowest entry weight, starts off. Her first snatch attempt of 56kg is successful. Her personal best is 59kg.

The Coups debâtons ceremony is out of the way. The snatch round is set to commence shortly.

Zhihui, favourite to retain her title, doing some stretches ahead of the contest. Rosina, World Championships silver medallist and the flagbearer of Madagascar this year, practising some lifts. Cambei, 29kgs clear of the field at the European Championships, limbers up with some plate weights. Delacruz, another prime contender, is the only one chilling on the bench. Finally, Chanu, whose birthday is in a few minutes from now, doing some jumps on the mat.

Nina Sterckx (Belgium): 193kg

Beatriz Piron Candelario (Dominican Republic): 190kg

Nicola Velasco Lagatao (Guam): 132kg

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (India): 200kg

Rira Suzuki (Japan): 190kg

Rosina Randafiarison (Madagascar): 170kg

Hou Zhihui (China): 210kg

Mihaela Valentina Cambei (Romania): 205kg

Surodchana Khambao (Thailand): 200kg

Fang Wan-Ling (Chinese Taipei): 192kg

Jourdan Delacruz (USA): 200kg

Katherin Echandia Zarate (Venezuela): 197kg

Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal for India on the opening day of the Tokyo Olympics, will be competing in her third consecutive Games. Despite recent injuries, she has recovered well from a hip injury she sustained during the Asian Games last year. She is determined to replicate her performance in the women’s 49kg weight class in Paris.

In April, Mirabai totalled 184kg upon her return to competition at the IWF World Cup after a five-month injury layoff. To secure a medal in the Olympics, she will need to lift more than 200kg. Although China’s Hou Zhihui is a strong favourite for the gold, the competition for the remaining two medals is expected to be tough among four athletes: Mirabai, Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao, the USA’s Jourdan Elizabeth Delacruz, and Romania’s Mihaela Valentina Cambei, who are all capable of lifting around 200kg.

Mirabai’s primary concern is to avoid further injuries to have a chance at winning her second Olympic medal on August 7.

Hello, we will be bringing you all the action from the South Paris Arena where Mirabai Chanu, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, will be vying for a second consecutive Olympic medal.