When PM Modi paused to check on Mirabai Chanu

She’s lifted firewood in Manipur. She’s lifted Olympic silver in Tokyo.

Transcript

00:00That's Indian weightlifter Mira Baichanu clinching her third world championship medal

00:07with silver in the 48kg division at Ford Norway. This video is from 2024 when PM Modi was passing

00:13by a crowd of athletes standing behind a barricade and stopped to check on her.

00:19The same girl from a small village in Manipur carried firewood heavier than her brothers who

00:24hitch rides with truck drivers just to reach training and years later after winning Olympic

00:29silver in Tokyo, went back to those truck drivers, touched their feet and said thank you.

00:33Injuries always stayed with her. The worst came in September 2023. At the Asian Games,

00:38as she got ready for the clean and jerk, she struggled with her weight belt.

00:42On her 117kg attempt, she got the bar on her shoulders but her hip gave out.

00:47Mira Baich fell to the floor in pain. Staff rushed in and her coach Vijay Sharma carried her backstage.

00:52Her chance at a medal was over. For weeks, she couldn't even step on a platform.

00:57She tried to return in 2024 but she finished 4th at the Paris Olympics.

01:01That's why this moment matters. Battling a right thumb issue,

01:04she's on the podium for the third time and still makes it feel like the very first.