NEW DELHI: India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medalist and Olympic medalist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu expressed her happiness after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence, where she shared her journey to the medal at Glasgow with the PM, which concluded with tears of happiness in her eyes as the tricolour rose with a gold medal in her hands.
PM Modi hosted India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 medal winners at his residence on Sunday. At Glasgow, Chanu solidified her legacy as one of India’s all-time great weightlifters with her third CWG gold at Glasgow in the 48 kg, after gold medals in 48 kg in the 2018 edition and 49 kg in the 2022 edition at Birmingham.
Posting a video of her interaction with PM Modi on her X, Chanu wrote, “Some conversations stay with you, not just for the words exchanged, but for what they represent. Honoured to share a heartfelt exchange with Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi Ji, and humbled by his appreciation of my journey, my love for the nation, and my role as an athlete.”
During the video, PM Modi asked her the reason behind her tears as she won the gold medal at Glasgow. To this, Chanu replied that she had been facing a lot of injuries, family issues and other challenges leading upto the medal, and the scar of missing the medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 by one kg was still in her mind.
“I was very happy, and emotional on that day, and the joy was even greater. I cried because, in the Tokyo Olympics, I missed out on a medal by just 1kg. As an athlete, we have to face so much. Over these four years, I faced so many challenges, constant injuries, and family issues. It was very difficult for me to get through those four years. So, when I was standing on the podium, sir, and our flag was being hoisted, and our national anthem was playing, I could not help but cry. The tears just came out on their own,” said Chanu.
