Tokyo Olympics: Silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu’s special treat to truck drivers who gave her lift during training days

The now star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu used to hitch a ride in trucks that would carry river sands to Imphal to train every day. The truck drivers near her village gave her a lift every day for several years.

Tokyo Olympics silver medal-winning weightlifter Mirabai Chanu at her village near Imphal. (Source: Twitter)

Indian weighlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won India its first medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and that too a silver medal never had an easy road to success. Mirabai’s village Nongpok Kakching was more than 25 km from the Sports Academy in Manipur’s capital Imphal with public transport hard to come by.

The now star weightlifter used to hitch a ride in trucks that would carry river sands to Imphal to train every day. The truck drivers near her village gave her a lift every day for several years. On Thursday (August 5), Mirabai gave a glimpse of her golden heart as she treated around 150 truck drivers and helpers to a shirt, a Manipuri scarf and a full course lunch.

Mirabai broke down in gratitude when she met the drivers. She said that her dream of becoming a weightlifter would not have been achieved had it not been for the truckers who helped her travel to train.

Olympiad @mirabai_chanu home was more than 25 km from the Sport Academy. No means of transport during those days, except trucks which carried river sands to the City. These truck drivers gave her lift everyday. Today she rewarded these truck drivers. pic.twitter.com/9WegUkwjkz — Naorem Mohen (@laimacha) August 5, 2021

The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) in the women’s 49kg category to better Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was also India’s first Olympic medal in weightlifting since the Sydney Games.

In an exclusive interview with Wion, Indian Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu said, “I only focused on giving my best performance.”

When asked what would be the first thing that she would like to do after her medal win, Chanu shyly said she wants to go home. “I want to go home to my family and spend time with my mother. I have not gone home for two years. In my aspiration to win an Olympic medal i have stayed away from home for two years, but now that i have achieved it and dreams of my coach has come true, I want to go home,” she said.