Neat, tidy Mirabai wanted career in archery before mentor stepped in

An obsession with being "neat, tidy and stylish" almost led her to archery, says world champion and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who feels a chance meeting with her eventual coach changed her career plans.

Mirabai's story is not of somebody being spotted for prodigal talent but of someone who sought out the opportunity and the right mentor.

As a 13-year-old girl from a poor family at the nondescript Nongpok Kakching village, around 20km from Manipur's capital Imphal, Mirabai decided early in her life that she would earn fame as a sportsperson.

In search of a sports facility and a mentor, she travelled with a cousin to the Sports Authority of India Center at Khuman Lampak in Imphal in early 2008 and the rest is history.

"All my brothers and cousins play football but they would come back home dirty after a day's play. I wanted to play a sport which is neat and clean. At first, I wanted to be an archer as they are neat and clean and stylish," Mirabai told PTI in an interview.

"They just stand and shoot. So one day I and my cousin went to SAI Center at Khuman Lampak in Imphal. But I could not meet any archer as there was no archery training that day," she racalled.

"Then at that time I saw some clippings of Kunajarani Devi's exploits in international arena and that influenced me to take up to weightlifting. So after a few days, me and my cousin again went to the weightlifting training center and luckily I met (former international weightlifter and current coach) Anita Chanu and she initiated me into the sport," said Mirabai, now 23.

Manipur Weightlifting Association General Secretary Sunil Elangbam, who has tracked Mirabai's career throughout, said, "When she came for archery training, as far as I remembered, it was a rainy day or training camp had finished earlier.

"Sometimes luck also plays a part in an athlete's career. It is good Mirabai could not be an archer and she took to weightlifting."
Talking about her CWG performance, she said, "I was very confident to win the gold. I was nervous at Rio Olympics. But after winning gold in World Championships I was very confident and sure of winning a gold in the CWG."