Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu Shares How Talking To A Psychologist Helped Her

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu said that she was “completely broken” after the 2016 Rio Olympics and that talking to a psychologist helped her.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the weightlifter Mirabai Chanu failed to record a legal lift in any of her three attempts. Due to this, she could not get an overall total in the women’s 48 kg. While talking at a virtual interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Chanu spoke about how athletes should have access to psychologists.

Chanu said, “A psychologist helps a lot. They motivate us.” She added that after she failed in the Rio Olympics, she was “completely broken”. Chanu said that she had aspirations of winning a medal, "but I was not able to do so. So, I kept thinking ‘after working so hard why did I fail’”.

The 26-year-old said that after consulting a psychologist she was able to come back to her normal self. Chanu spoke to a psychologist at the Sports Authority of India who told her that since it was her first Olympics, she felt more pressure.

The weightlifter Mirabai Chanu made a comeback after the 2016 Rio Olympics. She won gold medals at the 2017 World Championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games. In April 2021, she won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. She also made a new clean and jerk world record in the 49 kg category.

Chanu plans on training in America for the Tokyo Games. She also went to the USA last year to train. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her plan to go to the USA has not been confirmed till now. The major reason Chanu wishes to return to the US is to work on her shoulder issue. She said that “My shoulder gets tight sometimes and that hinders my snatch. Something is lacking in my snatch technique, that’s why I’m not that great.”