It was the same hall from where Karnam Malleswari had trained to become World Champion and Olympic medallist in weightlifting.
In the breathtaking set up of the National Institute of Sports, the weightlifting centre had also helped Kunjarani Devi win World Championship medals. Malleswari and Kunjarani also went on to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award more than 20 years ago.
The third lifter to be chosen as the Khel Ratna this year, World champion Mirabai Chanu, has resumed training to prepare for the Asian Championship, which will also serve as the Olympic qualifier.
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“We will definitely win the Olympic medal and bring it to India,” said the 24-year-old Mirabai, when queried as to how nobody could follow up on Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
As the reigning World champion, Mirabai had done 2kg better in lifting a total of 196kg for the gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, but a lower back strain stopped her from competing in the Asian Games in Indonesia.
Fully recovered and being chosen as one of the two lifters for the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) along with Ragala Venkat Rahul, Mirabai has set her vision clear on the path ahead as she goes through the training sessions under the guidance of coach Vijay Sharma.
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Of course, there is the Youth Olympics gold medallist Jeremy Lalrinnunga who lifted 274kg in the 62kg section in Buenos Aires and has been kept as one of three prospects along with Achinta Sheuli and Jhili Dalabehera under TOPS for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Quite at home
Mirabai is quite at home in the SAI Centre here, pleased with the quality of food and facilities. She is happy with all that she has achieved so far, including the recognition.
“I will feel like a star only when I win an Olympic medal,” Mirabai said.
The pain of “no lift” in the Rio Olympics still hurts as she had failed with all three lifts in clean and jerk.
The gold in Rio was won with a total of 200kg by Thailand’s Sopita Tanasan, while the silver and bronze were bagged with 192kg and 188kg respectively by Sri Wahyuni Agustiani of Indonesia and Hiromi Miyake of Japan.
It was an Asian sweep and well within the reach of Mirabai.
No wonder Mirabai and the rest have already assembled to train for the Asian Championship in China in April 2019, as there is a promise to keep in Tokyo.