 "Coffee with BS: Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, Weightlifter, Olympian")
Standing 4 feet, 11 inches tall, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is a colossus. The undisputed poster girl of weightlifting, and an embodiment of grit and humility, she has lifted the hopes of a nation at the Olympic stage.
Her strength goes far beyond the kilograms lifted and the medals won — to the manner in which she has shattered gender stereotypes, overcome injuries, and inspired a generation of upcoming athletes.
On a sweltering afternoon, I meet Chanu at the Weightlifting Warriors academy in Sadabad Jakhaiva, a village in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, just an hour’s drive from New Delhi.
The academy’s polished
