Mirabai Chanu withdraws with back issue; Gyaneshwari Yadav eighth at World Championships

Mirabai Chanu withdrew from the IWF World Weightlifting Championships on Thursday due to a back issue, while Gyaneshwari Yadav finished eighth in the women's 53kg event.

Chanu had been entered in Group B with an entry total of 200kg but pulled out after experiencing back pain. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Gyaneshwari Yadav, a 23-year-old from Chhattisgarh, lifted a total of 198kg — 88kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk — to top Group C.

Gyaneshwari's combined effort placed her ahead of several lifters from Groups A and B in the final standings. She missed two attempts, one in the snatch and another in the clean and jerk, and was unable to improve on her personal best of 199kg.

China's Zhang Haiqin won the world title with a total lift of 221kg, combining 98kg in the snatch and 123kg in the clean and jerk. American Eleanor Ulrey claimed the silver medal with 220kg (98kg+122kg), while North Korea's So Hyon Kim secured bronze with a total of 214kg (91kg+123kg).

The competition highlighted difficulty in the snatch phase, with as many as seven lifters managing 90kg or more. Chanu has been striving to reach that mark consistently in the snatch for more than six years, making the performances in the category worth watching.

At the World Championships, lifters are divided into groups based on their declared entry totals, with Group A featuring lifters with the highest declared totals and Groups B, C and D comprising athletes with progressively lower entry totals. The groupings determine when lifters compete, but the final standings are decided by their combined totals across both disciplines.

The World Championships are among six events in the first phase of the qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, offering weightlifters an early opportunity to compete in the qualification cycle as they begin their build-up towards the Games.