Mirabai Chanu reveals she didn't eat anything for 2 days before her competition

After the disappointment at the Rio Olympics, Mirabai was determined to get the medal in Tokyo

Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal for weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics, has revealed that she did not eat anything for two days before the competition due to concerns over her weight.

After the disappointment at the Rio Olympics, Mirabai was determined to win a medal in Tokyo and she did it. Mirabai won the silver medal in women's weightlifting 49 kg category.

"I didn't eat anything for two days before the competition because I was concerned about my weight. It's very difficult (to maintain weight). We need to strictly control our diet to maintain weight for this category,” Mirabai told NDTV.

"Therefore I can't eat junk food and my diet is limited to peas, meat etc,” she added.

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Mirabai said that after the Rio Olympics, she had decided to win a medal in whichever competition she takes part in next, adding, "My coach (Vijay Sharma) motivated me a lot and asked me to forget what happened at Rio and prepare for the future. It's because of him that I have reached here."

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions were hampering her practice, making it difficult for to train.

"I couldn't train at all during the lockdown and started training only after the lockdown was relaxed. Because I had started training after a long period of rest, there were injuries," Mirabai said.

After a difficult journey, Mirabai won India a medal in weightlifting at the Olympics after 25 years.

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