Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu withdrew from the women's 53kg event at the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China, on Thursday, 29 October, because of a back issue. She was due to make her debut in the 53kg category.
What happened
Chanu had been placed in Group B of the 53kg event with an entry total of 200kg, but she pulled out because of back pain before lifting. Compatriot Gyaneshwari Yadav, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, finished a creditable eighth in the same category.
Why 53kg?
Chanu moved up to the 53kg category for the LA 2028 Olympic cycle because the 49kg division, in which she won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has been dropped from the Olympic programme. The Ningbo championships are the first of 10 qualifying events on the road to LA 2028.
The level of competition
Seven lifters in the 53kg event lifted 90kg or more in the snatch, a mark Chanu has been trying to reach for over six years.
Mirabai Chanu's 2026 season
- Commonwealth Games (Glasgow): Gold, her third consecutive CWG gold after 2018 and 2022
- Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya, 23 September): Silver in the women's 49kg with a 198kg total (87kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk). It was her first Asian Games medal and India's first weightlifting medal at the Games in 28 years, since Karnam Malleswari's silver in 1998
- World Championships (Ningbo, 29 October): Withdrew from the 53kg event with a back issue
What's next
The seriousness of the injury and Chanu's next competition have not been announced. We will update this article when the Indian Weightlifting Federation confirms more details.
Note: Report as of 30 October 2026, based on PTI reports.