Qatar GP: Mirabai to attend weigh-in but will not lift

AS she did in the 2023 World Championships in Riyadh in September, ace Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will only mark her attendance at the IWF Grand Prix II in Doha, Qatar starting Monday. As participation in the Qatar event is mandatory to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist will give the body weight and dope test, if required.

- FIROZ MIRZA

“Weigh-in for Mira is on Monday. She will attend it and undergo a dope test if asked to. She will not lift the weight,” Vijay Sharma, weightlifting head coach, told this daily.

Eyeing her maiden medal at the Asian Games a couple of months ago, the Manipur athlete completed only two lifts out of six attempts injuring her right thigh in the process. She managed 83kg in the snatch section and lifted 108kg in clean and jerk for a below-par total of 191kg and finished fourth in the women’s 49kg at the Asian Games. She fell on her back while attempting a 117kg clean and jerk lift. She couldn’t lift the weight in her third and final attempt. She collapsed after the failed attempt which meant she needed assistance to walk off the platform.