Mirabai Chanu Reveals Relentless Focus on Training, Weight Management, Even During Family Time

Mirabai Chanu: Training and Weight Always on My Mind, Even With Family

India's celebrated weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu, reveals the constant mental presence of training demands and weight management, impacting even her time spent with family. The silver medalist in the 49kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is currently preparing diligently for the upcoming Commonwealth Championships.

Mirabai Chanu is the newest guest on the Game On podcast.

"We get some rest, especially after major events like the Asian Games or Olympics. I took some rest too, but then got back to training. Spending quality time with family is crucial, especially after dedicating so much time to training – it's necessary to relax," Mirabai shared on the "Game On" podcast.

"That was good, but now it's time to face training again. Up next are the Commonwealth Championships, which will also serve as a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games. Our full focus is on that, and all our preparations are geared toward it."

She further added, "We don’t really get to enjoy traveling. I do go out sometimes, but I can’t really enjoy with my family the way I’d like to—because we have to get back to training. We’ve already given so much time to it, so we have to think about how to recover, how to maintain ourselves... these things are always on my mind. I keep thinking: when should I restart training? Will I be able to perform like I did before?"

"So honestly, we're always thinking about training—even while eating! We think: if I eat this, what effect will it have? Will I gain fat? Will my weight go up? Because of this, we can’t even eat what we want to."

Mirabai openly admitted, "I love junk food—especially pizza! Everyone knows that. But I still can’t eat it. Even when I’m not training, I really feel like eating it, but I stop myself and think, ‘If I eat this, how will tomorrow’s training go?’ I have to maintain my weight, especially keeping it at 50 kg. It’s very tough—training and staying at that weight. So, even when I want something, I have to stop myself and say, ‘Not now, focus on the competition first.’"

Mirabai's impressive medal haul includes an Olympic silver, a gold and a silver at the World Championships, two golds and a silver at the Commonwealth Games, and a bronze at the Asian Championships.