Mirabai Chanu's weight class axed from 2028 Olympics, to bulk up to 53kg for LA Games

New Delhi: Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu's weight class has been dropped from the 2028 Olympics and she is set to bulk up to the 53kg category for the 2028 Games.

Chanu had won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 49kg. However, the lowest category for women at the 2028 LA Games is now 53kg following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to increase the total number of weightlifting events to 12.

Chief national coach Vijay Sharma feels that bulking up to 53kg will work in Chanu's favour but said the Manipuri will continue in her old weight class till the Asian Games next year.

"This (removal of 49kg) is a good thing for Mirabai because cutting down her weight to 48kg was a taxing process," Sharma told PTI.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), in a statement late Monday, said, "Following the encouraging decision taken by the IOC to enlarge the weightlifting programme at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 – where 12 events (six men, six women) will be contested." This is the second time the IWF has changed the categories in less than a year.

Chanu had earlier this year shifted to the 48kg category after the IWF dropped the 49kg division form the Olympics. Though the 49kg class has now been reinstated for IWF events such as the World Championships, it will not feature in the Olympics.

Chanu had won the gold at the Commonwealth Championships and a silver medal at the World Championships in the 48kg this year.

The 31-year-old will continue to compete in the 48kg/49kg category until next year's Asian Games. After that, she will have two years to gradually move up to the 53kg division to prepare for the Olympics.

Chanu has several times spoken about the physical strain of maintaining a 48kg body weight. In a higher weight class, she will be able to add more muscle mass.

"Right now, she will continue in the same weight class till the Asian Games, after that we will begin the process of changing the weight to 53kg," Sharma added.

The women's Olympic categories now include -- 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg -- while the men will compete in the 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg, +110kg weight classes.

The Olympic categories are part of a slightly adjusted, new set of 16 IWF bodyweight categories. The new categories will come into effect from August 1, 2026.

"The new categories were proposed by the IWF Technical Committee, and were provisionally approved by the IWF Executive Board in its last meeting in Forde (NOR), with the occasion of the 2025 IWF World Championships. They became official after the ratification by the IWF Athletes Commission," the IWF said.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, the women's weight categories were 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg and +81kg, while the men had competed in 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg and +102kg weight classes.