'Even with family, my mind is on training and weight': Mirabai Chanu opens up
NEW DELHI: India's star weightlifter
says that the pressures of training and maintaining weight never really leave her mind—even when she's spending time with family. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist in the 49kg category is currently preparing for the upcoming Commonwealth Championships.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"We also get a little time to rest, especially after the Asian Games or Olympics. I took some rest too, but then got back to training. But yes, spending time with family is also very important—especially after giving so much time to training—it's necessary to relax a little," Mirabai said on Game On - a podcast series.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
"So, that part was good, but now it's time to face training again. Up next is the Commonwealth Championships, which will also act as a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games.
So, our full focus is on that, and all our preparations are currently geared toward it.
"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.
Jasprit Bumrah press conference: Lashes out at critics, dropped catches and no balls
"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,'" she said.
In addition to her Olympic silver, Mirabai also has a gold and a silver medal at the World Championships, two golds and a silver at the Commonwealth Games, and a bronze at the Asian Championships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
What awaits Neeraj Chopra at Golden Spike – another Javelin title, record throw or …?
It has been a smooth start to the season for Javelin Throw world champion Neeraj Chopra, who won the Paris Diamond League three days back. Neeraj threw 88.16m to defeat his close competitor, Julian Weber of Germany, after losing to him at the Doha Diamond League. Neeraj has featured in two tournaments this season, the Doha Diamond League and the Paris Diamond League, and will be participating in his third competition tomorrow at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It is a gold-level tournament on the World Athletics Continental tour. After an injury-marred season in 2024, where he failed to defend his Olympic title losing to Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj started training under Czech legend Jan Zelenzy and parted ways with his long-term coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz. Neeraj also put an end to the questions of 90m as he crossed the much hyped mark at the Doha Diamond League, throwing 90.23m and creating a new national record. Talking about his time with Jan, Neeraj said,' I'm really happy to work with such a great athlete and coach. I've already thrown 90 m this year after a little bit more improvement in technique, so let's see when it comes next time, but I'm ready. Recently, we've done good training in Nymbuk, so I'll do my best here in Ostrava.' 'It was not easy; the competition in Paris was quite late. First throw was good, but I don't know what happened then. My last Diamond League win was in Lausanne 2023, so at the end, I'm happy already having a Diamond League win this year,' he added further about his Paris DL win. Neeraj will be up against a modest field in Ostrava, with Anderson Peters of Grenada and Thomas Rohler of Germany being his main competitors. While Anderson Peters has a personal best of 93.07m, the 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler has a personal best of 93.90m. However, both of them have struggled in recent times with poor season bests (Peters- 85.64m and Rohler- 80.79m). Neeraj was supposed to play at the meet last year but had to pull out due to an injury. 'When I was a kid, I watched a lot of videos and photos of athletes like Usain Bolt competing here. I came last year, but I didn't compete because of an injury. Now I feel good, but I don't want to put any pressure on myself for 90 m. But I'll try hard,' said Neeraj about competing in Ostrava. Recently, Neeraj Chopra announced NC Classic, a Javelin-only event to be held in India annually. World Athletics classified the event as a World Athletics 'A' category event, equal to a Continental Tour Gold-level competition in ranking points, making it the most prestigious Athletics event in the country. It is the realisation of a long-time dream for Neeraj, who has brought significant attention to the sport with exploits at the international level. Talking about his excitement for the NC classic, Neeraj said,' The first competition after Ostrava will be the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru. After the Tokyo Olympics, there are a lot of people following javelin in India, so I'm very excited. This will be my first really serious competition in India with international athletes, on 5 July. I still have to manage a lot of things before the competition, but it will be a good experience.' 'Back then, when I was 'nobody', I had a dream that people would know something about our sport. So now it would not be good if I were to say no to people. And I'm happy that now in India people recognise sports other than cricket,' said Neeraj. After Bengaluru, Neeraj will have his eyes set on the World Championships in Tokyo later in September, where he is the defending champion looking for a title double.
Hindustan Times
42 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Duplantis says vaulting 6.40m is within the 'realm of possibility'
Swedish pole-vaulting star Armand Duplantis said on Monday that clearing 6.40 metres was "in the realm of possibility", eight days after improving his previous world record to 6.28m. HT Image The 25-year-old US-born double Olympic champion set his 12th world record at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on June 15. "I've always believed that I'm able to keep pushing higher and of course I've shown now that I'm very, very close to 6.30 metres," Duplantis told reporters ahead of Tuesday's Golden Spike meet in the Czech city of Ostrava. "I want to keep pushing and I want to get to 6.30m as soon as possible. "I'd like to get to 6.40m, that would be another crazy barrier of course and that also feels like in the realm of possibility for me." Duplantis said he had been surprised that his latest world record had come in Stockholm because the set-up had not been ideal. "I didn't feel like my best, it was probably the worst that I felt for a world record jump, honestly, before," said Duplantis. "I felt like I was a little bit all over the place on the day and a little bit inconsistent. But then I hit the right jump at the right time, which I guess is the most important in pole vaulting." Setting a world record in Sweden presented Duplantis with a welcome occasion to celebrate with friends and family. "I did celebrate it pretty hard, but I feel like I'm fully recovered now and ready to start jumping again," he said. Duplantis also announced he is planning to release his second song this week, following on from his debut single "Bop" in February. "I'm going to drop a song Friday, midnight actually, so that's pretty cool," he said. The new song is called 4L, meaning "For Life". "I dropped one song only this far but I've done tons of music the past couple of years really so that'll be fun. "I feel like I'd like to have another hobby, I guess, maybe not distract me but just give me something else mentally." Duplantis said he enjoyed golf but was discouraged because "in Sweden, it's super cold". frj/nf/gj This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Don't Want To Put Any Pressure On Myself": Neeraj Chopra On Chasing 90m Throws
As he builds towards his ultimate goal — a top finish at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo — Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra says he isn't placing himself under the pressure of chasing 90-metre throws every time he steps out, though he's quietly confident ahead of the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava on Tuesday. 'I feel good, but I don't want to put any pressure on myself for 90m. But I'll try really hard,' Chopra said told reporters ahead of Tuesday's Golden Spike Athletics meet . 'I've already thrown 90m this year after a little bit more improvement in technique. So let's see when it comes next time, but I am ready.' The 27-year-old javelin superstar, fresh off his Paris Diamond League win (88.16m) over German Julian Weber, is focusing more on technical refinement than chasing numbers every meet. 'Recently we've done a good training in Nymburk (Czech Republic), so I'll do my best here in Ostrava,' he added. Part of Chopra's excitement at competing in Ostrava stems from childhood memories. 'When I was a kid, I watched a lot of videos and photos of athletes like Usain Bolt competing here. I came last year but I didn't compete because of injury,' he recalled. His primary focus, though, remains the World Championships in Tokyo from September 13 to 21 — where he hopes to add to his gold from the previous edition. 'Main goal for the season is obviously World Championships in Tokyo,' said Chopra. The Haryana athlete is also looking forward to a milestone moment on home soil — the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5. 'This will be my first really serious competition in India with international athletes. I still have to manage a lot of things before competition, but it will be a good experience,' he said. 'Now it would not be good if I say no to people. And I'm happy that now in India people recognise other sports than cricket.' Working with Czech legend Jan Zelezny, the three-time Olympic gold medallist and world record holder, has been a major boost. 'I am really happy to work with such a great athlete and coach,' Chopra said. The growing popularity of their partnership hasn't gone unnoticed. 'When I competed at Diamond League in Doha, there were a lot of Indian people who wanted to take pictures with Jan. And they are sometimes… you know… very intense. So I was a bit worried about him. But he left to the hotel quickly,' he laughed. Zelezny, for his part, is pleased with the progress. 'I am happy about the situation. It's important for javelin and throws in general, as athletics is not only about sprints,' the Czech great said. 'Neeraj opened the doors to other countries, it's great for our sport.'
