Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women's 49 kg weightlifting division, giving India its first medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Chanu won silver with a total lift of 202 kg, including 87 kg in the snatch and 115 kg in the clean and jerk.
Recently, Chanu said that she used to get lifts from truckers who were kind enough to provide her a free transport from her home in the Nongpok Kakching hamlet to the training centre at the Khuman Lampak sports complex in Imphal. When she returned home after winning, she expressed that she wishes to meet the truckers and assist them in any way she can.
“I wanted to see the truckers who provided me regular lifts from home to the training centre and seek their blessings. They really helped me during my hard times of training. I am looking for those sand-carrying truckers so that I can try to extend whatever help they may require now," Chanu told Hindustan Times.
Saikhom Ongbi Tombi Devi, Chanu's mother, manages a tea stall in the village. She said that Mirabai used to save money for her diet by skipping public transport and taking free rides from truck drivers. Trucks that came from Etham Moirangpurel area would pass through the village and stop at her shop.
Chanu’s brother, Saikhom Sanatomba Meitei, told Olympics.com, “Our parents would give her Rs 10-20 for her journey. The village is very small and almost everyone knows everyone else. The trucks used to leave from the market square every morning. We would know which of them is going towards her training centre and would send her with them. She never complained about it. She would go alone every day."
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