Mirabai Chanu to lift in women's 49kg final at Asian Games Nagoya on September 23, 2026

Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women's 49kg weightlifting final at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on September 23, 2026. The session is part of the weightlifting programme held at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre.

Chanu arrives at Nagoya as India’s primary medal prospect in weightlifting, chasing the one continental title that has so far eluded her despite an Olympic silver and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. The 32-year-old won gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with a total lift of 190kg in the 48kg category and has moved up to contest the 49kg division for these Games. Her focus is now solely on competing in Nagoya in the higher weight class.

Her past Asian Games results have been mixed: she placed ninth in the women’s 48kg at Incheon 2014, missed the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang edition because of a lower back injury, and recorded her best finish of fourth place at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. Those finishes constitute her Asian Games record to date.

The weightlifting competition at the 2026 Asian Games runs from September 23 to 29 at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and Chanu’s event falls on the opening day of that schedule. Because her final is on the first day, her lift will also serve as the start of India’s weightlifting challenge at the tournament.

China, North Korea and Thailand are named among the strong contingents in the women's 49kg category and are expected to send their top lifters to the continental meet, making the field highly competitive. The presence of those nations places extra emphasis on the outcome in Chanu’s weight class.

Chanu’s women’s 49kg final is scheduled for September 23, 2026, with lifting due to start at 10:00 AM JST (6:30 AM IST) at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.