Latest news with #ASMITA
India Gazette
09-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya kicks off ASMITA Weightlifting League, says 'Mirabai Chanu perfect role model'
Modinagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 9 (ANI): The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the 2025 season of the ASMITA league in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. The 2025 season of ASMITA began with the weightlifting league, where forty-two girls participated in eight different weight categories in a two-day event held in the Open category. In the current financial year 2025-26, 852 leagues across 15 sports disciplines have been planned. The leagues spread across the states and Union Territories will feature over 70,000 female athletes. Last season, 550 leagues were conducted across 27 sports disciplines that enabled the participation of 53,101 female athletes. 'It is our mission to create opportunities at every level and then spot talent and groom them. I see there is a lot of fire in the eyes of these kids who have turned up here in Modinagar. I am sure we will be able to find another Mirabai Chanu,' said Mansukh Mandaviya. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was among the host of dignitaries who were present at the inauguration of the ASMITA weightlifting league. Boosting the morale of the participants was the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Raksha Nikhil Khadse. 'ASMITA is a big pillar in our robust sports programme. Women have demonstrated their ability to excel in sports, and the sky is the limit for them. The intent in the eyes of the kids is something that needs to be cultivated,' said Raksha Khadse. 'You can't have a better role model than Mirabai Chanu. Having come from a remote Manipur village and achieved excellence at the highest levels, she has created a benchmark for all women weightlifters. Her presence should inspire the young girls who are taking part in weightlifting,' said Mansukh Mandaviya. Mandaviya reiterated the government's '360 degrees' commitment to sports and emphasised how this is reflected in the sports budget that has increased fourfold in the last 10 years. 'We are looking to reach every corner of India and tell aspiring sportspersons that we now have a pathway for you to rise and shine. Our Khelo Bharat Niti (sports policy) has been designed in this manner, and having collaborated with the National Education Policy, we are giving a lot of impetus to school sports. These will be reflected in the Khelo India calendar that we have created. There will be no dearth of opportunities,' said Mandaviya. Olympian Mirabai said the ASMITA Leagues, which started in 2021, have been a huge boon to women in sports. 'Its tiered structure is perfectly scripted. Everyone now has a vision on how to make it to the highest level. We didn't get such opportunities, and that's why ASMITA is a blessing for women who want to play a sport and dream big,' said Mirabai. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Fit-again Mirabai Chanu finetunes technique on comeback trail
New Delhi: It's been almost a year since Mirabai Chanu finished an agonising fourth at the Paris Olympics. Beset with niggles and injuries for the better part of that Olympic cycle, Chanu exited the stage with a resigned smile and promise to return stronger. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will be in action at the Commonwealth championships in Ahmedabad next month. (Getty Images) 'Paris was very disappointing. I knew an aggregate of 200kg will surely win me a medal, and to miss the podium after coming so close did hurt,' the Tokyo Games silver medallist, who missed out on a second podium after lifting one kg less in 49kg, said on the sidelines of the two-day ASMITA weightlifting league in Modinagar on Tuesday. A three-month break followed after which Chanu went to St Louis, USA to consult Dr Aaron Horschig on a hip injury that had troubled her since the 2023 Asian Games. She also shifted base from NIS Patiala to national coach Vijay Sharma's academy, where she also mentors the trainees. Chanu will return to action at the Commonwealth championships in Ahmedabad next month (Aug 24-30), one of the three mandatory qualifiers for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It will offer the 30-year-old an opportunity to test her technique. She competed at the trials for the Commonwealth championships in Patiala last month and, in Sharma's assessment, 'performed beyond expectations'. 'I have been working on slight tweaks in my technique, particularly in snatch,' said Chanu, currently training at 70-80% of her load capacity. She has been trying to snatch 90kg for a few years now, but the technical work has almost always hit the injury roadblock. 'We did some technical work before Tokyo Olympics, but the rhythm was disrupted after repeated injuries in the Paris cycle,' said Sharma. 'However, we are confident she can snatch 90kg. She crossed that mark in training in the lead up to Paris. She would also lift 115-116kg in clean and jerk, so we were confident of a medal in Paris,' he added. At the Games, Chanu failed to go beyond 88kg in snatch and failed in her opening clean and jerk effort of 111kg. 'I had lifted much more in training but things didn't work out on the day that mattered. That hasn't dented my resolve. My goals are still the same,' she said. Snatching 90kg and winning an elusive Asian Games medal next year are among them. It will need some doing considering the challenge that Chinese and North Korean lifters present. Chanu is aware of the competition but is unfazed. 'Recently a junior lifter in China snatched 90kg, so I really need to hit that mark,' the double World Championships medallist said. 'Snatch is all technique while clean and jerk is more power based. How to lift and progress, how to control the back, execution of the second pull, all those aspects need technical refinement. These are little changes but over the years, the body develops muscle memory which is hard to let go.' Chanu is also working to add speed to her first pull – the motion where an athlete lifts the bar to her waist. 'The body should be in sync in that motion, but that has been my weakness since the start. We have added speed to the second pull and also on the hip thrust. The technique can't be corrected instantly. We have to work on it carefully because my body is ageing.' Weight management, in this Olympic cycle, too will be daunting. With the world body rejigging weight classes, Chanu has now moved to 48kg, a division in which she became world champion in 2017. 'Controlling weight will be difficult because my maintenance weight now has to be around 49.5kg. It looks just one kg from outside but requires a very close look at the training programme,' she said. Her training load is still the same – she was in 49kg earlier – but it has been broken up to ensure the body is not over exerted, Sharma said. 'We are peaking towards the World Championships in October and from there, the focus will shift towards the Asian Games,' Chanu said.
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Sports minister Mandaviya inaugurates ASMITA weightlifting league
CHENNAI: The Union sports minister inaugurated the ASMITA league 2025 in Modinagar on Tuesday. According to a sports ministry media release, Mansukh Mandaviya opened the league where 42 girls are participating in eight different weight categories in the two-day. The events are organised as Open category. In the current financial year, 852 leagues across 15 sports disciplines have been planned. The leagues spread across states and Union Territories. It will feature over 70,000 female athletes. Last season, 550 leagues were conducted across 27 sports disciplines where 53,101 female athletes participated. 'It our mission to create opportunities at every level and then spot talent and groom them. I see there is a lot of fire in the eyes of these kids who have turned up here in Modinagar. I am sure we will be able to find another Mirabai Chanu,' Mandaviya said in the statement. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was among the host of dignitaries who were present at the inauguration of the ASMITA weightlifting league. Union minister of state for sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse too was present. 'ASMITA is a big pillar in our robust sports programme. Women have demonstrated their ability to excel in sports and sky is the limit for them. The intent in the eyes of the kids is something that needs to be cultivated,' said Smt Khadse. Know Asmita ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women) is part of Khelo India's gender neutral mission to promote sports among women through leagues and competition. As such, the Sports Authority of India supports National Sports Federations to conduct Khelo India women's leagues across multiple age groups at both zonal and national levels. Started in 2021, ASMITA leagues not only aim to increase the participation of women in sports but to utilise the leagues as a platform for identification of new talent across the length and breadth of India.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Mirabai Chanu's comeback trail: Change in snatch technique, challenge of ageing body, new weight category
It's been nearly a year since Mirabai Chanu stood on a weightlifting platform to compete after finishing fourth at last year's Paris Olympics in the 49kg category. The 2021 Tokyo Olympic medallist's previous Olympics cycle was affected by a recurring injury. She had also finished fourth at the 2022 Asian Games. However, after completing her rehabilitation and working on her technique in snatch, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist is ready for another shot at the elusive Asian Games medal. A podium finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is also a dream. 'I tried my best in Paris but due to inconsistent training and recurring injury, a medal was lost,' Mirabai Chanu told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the ASMITA Weightlifting league. Chanu lifted a total of 199 kg at the Paris Olympics finishing fourth and missing out on a bronze medal by one kilogram. While she did well in the snatch with 88kg, her attempt at 114 kg in clean and jerk failed. 'I will say my training is at 80 percent right now. I recently participated in the trials for the Commonwealth Weightlifting championships and my body is feeling great,' she added further. Chanu is known for her power in the clean and jerk section of weightlifting. She held the world record of 119kg till 2024. However, she has struggled in the snatch section. 'My snatch has improved. I did 88kg in Paris and my target remains to do 90 in the section,' she said. 'Snatch is all about technique. How to lift the bell from the bottom and then progress and how to control your body in the process. I lack a little bit of technique. My weakness from the start has been the force transfer from sitting down to standing up,' she explained. But after Paris, there have been slight tweaks in her technique, according to her long-time coach Vijay Sharma. 'Now she is moving fast while going up with more hip thrust and it has shown results. At the recent trials, she did 85 which I was not expecting,' Vijay said. Also with an ageing body, athletes can't change their technique instantly. 'My body is ageing now and I can't correct my technique instantly. But I think if I use the combination of second pull and hip thrust, 90 kg is achievable in snatch,' Chanu said. The coach knows change will take time. 'It is tough to break the pattern her body has been following for years now. Right now, our focus is the technical tweaks,' Vijay added. The International Weightlifting Federation has introduced new weight categories from June 2025 and Mirabai will be competing in the women's 48 kg category now after the 49 kg category was scrapped. Talking about maintaining weight for the new category, Chanu said, 'When I was in the 49 kg category, I would keep my weight around 50.5 kg to train and now I will have to keep it within 50 kg to train.' While it might look like an adjustment of just one kilogram, it can take a toll on the body. 'It's been seven years since Chanu has been competing in the same category and now she has cut down on her natural weight of 50kg further. We had options of going either to 53 kg or come down to 48, we chose the latter one as it suits her natural weight,' Vijay added. Chanu will be competing at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad this year which acts as the qualifier for the Commonwealth Games. After the CWC, she will prepare for the World Championships in October 2025. 'Both tournaments are important for us. The Commonwealth is an important tournament as I will start my season here and then we have the Worlds where I will be competing with the Chinese and North Koreans,' Chanu said. 'Eventually, my target is to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,' she added. Coach Vijay Sharma has planned gradual progression for Chanu this year and the plan is to improve the total lift event by event. 'What I saw at the trials was visually pleasing to the eyes as a coach. She is lifting well and especially in snatch. Our plan is to add more in the total lift with each tournament. I hope this time she remains injury-free and we have uninterrupted training,' he said.
Hans India
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Mansukh Mandaviya kicks off Weightlifting League, says ‘Mirabai Chanu is the perfect role model'
New Delhi: The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the 2025 season of the ASMITA league in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. The 2025 season of ASMITA began with the weightlifting league, where 42 girls are participating in eight different weight categories in the two-day event being held in the Open category. In the current financial year 2025-26, 852 leagues across 15 sports disciplines have been planned. The leagues spread across the states and Union Territories will feature over 70,000 female athletes. Last season, 550 leagues were conducted across 27 sports disciplines that enabled the participation of 53,101 female athletes. 'It is our mission to create opportunities at every level and then spot talent and groom them. I see there is a lot of fire in the eyes of these kids who have turned up here in Modinagar. I am sure we will be able to find another Mirabai Chanu,' said Mandaviya. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was among the host of dignitaries who were present at the inauguration of the ASMITA weightlifting league. Boosting the morale of the participants was Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse. 'ASMITA is a big pillar in our robust sports programme. Women have demonstrated their ability to excel in sports, and the sky is the limit for them. The intent in the eyes of the kids is something that needs to be cultivated,' said Raksha Khadse. 'You can't have a better role model than Mirabai Chanu. Having come from a remote Manipur village and achieved excellence at the highest levels, she has created a benchmark for all women weightlifters. Her presence should inspire the young girls who are taking part in weightlifting,' said Dr. Mandaviya. He also reiterated the government's '360 degrees' commitment to sports and emphasised how this is reflected in the sports budget that has increased fourfold in the last 10 years. 'We are looking to reach every corner of India and tell aspiring sportspersons that we now have a pathway for you to rise and shine. Our Khelo Bharat Niti (sports policy) has been designed in this manner, and having collaborated with the National Education Policy, we are giving a lot of impetus to school sports. These will be reflected in the Khelo India calendar that we have created. There will be no dearth of opportunities." Olympian Mirabai said the ASMITA Leagues, which started in 2021, have been a huge boon for women in sports. 'Its tiered structure is perfectly scripted. Everyone now has a vision of how to make it to the highest level. We didn't get such opportunities, and that's why ASMITA is a blessing for women who want to play a sport and dream big,' said Mirabai.
