Magnus Carlsen on taking on Gukesh at GCT Zagreb: I will approach it as if I am playing a weaker player
'I think Gukesh played quite well here last time, but it remains to be proven that he's one of the best players in this format,' said the Norwegian in the buildup to the pair's showdown at the Global Chess Tour, Rapid and Blitz tournament in Zagreb.
READ ALSO: GCT 2025, Zagreb: Gukesh in four-way lead with Carlsen, So and Duda after opening day
'We have a very, very strong field…Gukesh hasn't done anything to [show] that he's going to do well in such a tournament. I hope, for his sake, that he can do better. But playing him in this tournament, I will approach it as if I'm playing one of the presumably weaker players (in the tournament),' Carlsen further added.
The former world champion also named Alireza Firouzja as a 'clear second favourite' in the competition.
Carlsen and Gukesh will meet thrice in Zagreb, once in rapid and twice in blitz. The first of these will be on July 3, marking the first time the two will face after their well-publicised meeting at the 2025 Norway Chess, where the Indian claimed a stunning victory.
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'That's my plan when I stop competing. It is very tough, but it is something I must do to ensure my sport grows.' Mirabai's long-time backers, OGQ, bought into the project and took care of everyday operations. 'It's a very big project but also very exciting,' says Rasquinha, the hockey Olympian. 'Our goal is to create the next Mirabai Chanu in eight years.' It's a punt to take untested youngsters and try to convert them into champion lifters of the future. But Sharma and his team remain optimistic. Clang. Stomp. Grunt. Repeat. It's half-past-seven in the morning and the brightly lit gymnasium in the basement of an austere building is a hub of activity. Some trainees lift the barbells above their heads in one snappy motion. A few others, not ready yet for higher loads, work on their core. Sharma's hawkish eyes don't miss a thing: A 12-year-old's right knee bends fractionally outwards and he makes a mental note; it'll be rectified before the next session. He notices another trainee's thighs shaking when she lifts the barbell above her head; more strength training will be advised. For years, Sharma has grudgingly admired China's gigantic sports machine, of which weightlifting is just a small cog, but one that's delivered them a staggering 43 gold medals at the Olympics — including half of the titles at Paris, just like in Tokyo. A strategy that sets the Chinese grapplers apart from the rest of the world is the disciplined training that young weightlifters are put through, and the single-minded focus on perfecting their technique. In contrast, the Indian elite lifters are loaded with technical flaws because they would 'start late and not be taught the correct techniques, something that stays with them', says Sharma. 'At the national camp, it is not possible to start from scratch and make athletes change what they have been doing for many years.' Even Mirabai, the most successful Indian weightlifter of this century, has 'some technical imperfections', he says. Mirabai, too, is conscious of this. As she walks onto the floor of the gym, drawing glances from the trainees who are still in awe of her, she smiles: 'There are times when I feel this bunch is lucky.' Mirabai's first brush with weightlifting wasn't in a gym like this. It was a rudimentary facility back in Imphal and instead of barbells, she began by lifting bamboo canes before gradually proceeding to use equipment. There was 'no support', except from her family and the three coaches at the facility. And no one to make timely interventions and correct her technical flaws. 'I could have been so much better,' she sighs. Mirabai, of course, is talking about the finest of margins that often makes the difference between a gold and silver at the Olympics. One that separated her from the best Chinese lifters. This tiny gap, she says, can be traced to the formative years and the different approaches of the two countries. 'In other sports, athletes in India start when they are 8 or 9 years old. But not in weightlifting. I don't know why. Maybe because of the nature of the sport. No academy teaches weightlifting to 7-or-8-year-olds,' she says. 'Look at China, in contrast. They might not make the 8-year-olds lift heavy weights at that age. But they condition their bodies and minds in such a way that by 14, they are ready,' she says. International sport, at this level, is a game of patience. There is no magic wand and the results of this intervention, as Rasquinha said, are unlikely to be visible until eight years or so, that too if everything goes as planned. Like Sharma stayed by her side for a decade, and continues doing so, Mirabai says she's in this for the long haul and is already looking forward to transitioning into a coaching role once she stops actively competing. 'Sir (Sharma) and I have been talking about this for years. Long plan karte hai (we'll plan long-term), we told each other. This is for 2036 (Olympics). But for that, we have to prepare them from this moment onwards. It'll require a lot of patience,' she says. Until they reach the age of 13 — the starting point of the sub-junior age category for competitions — the recruits will only be taught the correct technique, Sharma says. 'We don't just want to produce weightlifters, we want the most complete lifters technically,' Sharma says. 'This is the age to shape them, and drill the right concepts in their minds.' Nine-year-old Varnika Sherawat takes a deep breath when asked about her dream. 'Mera dream?' Varnika, who is from Sadarpur in Ghaziabad, repeats. 'Weightlifting karna hai, Mira didi jaisa banna hai (To lift weights like Mirabai).' Next to her, Priyanka Patil nods approvingly. A year ago, the 11-year-old saw Mirabai competing at the Paris Olympics. Months later, the weightlifter was at her village in Maharashtra's Sangli district, hunting for talent. 'I was hooked from the moment I saw didi on TV. It is a dream to live and train with her,' says Priyanka, whose parents are farmers. Mirabai grew up hearing the names of Karnam Malleswari and Kunjarani Devi — she idolised them and wanted nothing more than to be able to lift weights like they did. Now, she is surrounded by girls and boys who want to be like her. On the lifting platform, Mirabai dips into years of knowledge and passes it on to the next generation. At the dining hall, she stands behind a food counter, flipping omelettes for the young athletes and serving piping hot tea to the staff. During recreation hours, she collaborates with the academy staff and organises movie nights on off days or simply chats with the children 'to make sure they don't feel homesick'. On June 23, Olympic Day, she got drawing books and colours for all the children and asked them to draw on the theme of weightlifting, and the Olympics. One had podiums and a silhouette of Mirabai on top, a few made sketches of the barbells with the five rings around it. Sharma and Mirabai know that sometimes, it's all they need to do — hand out a blank canvas and watch the children dream.
