Why Mirabai Chanu Never Stops: The Mindset of a Champion

I have written extensively about Mirabai Chanu during these Commonwealth Games, and I will continue to do so in the lead-up to the Asian Games. But today’s piece is an important eye-opener for all of us – especially young athletes who dream of making it big for themselves and for India. extract-html.com

The day after Mira had won her gold medal, one expected her to take a break and unwind. After all, it was her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold. Yet, I spotted her quietly walking to the training centre at the SEC. Curious, I followed her to see what she was up to, and that is when I bumped into her coach, Vijay Sharma.

“Training karne ja rahi hain, Sir. Ek bhi din training miss nahi kar sakte hain (She is going for training, Sir. She cannot afford to miss training even for a single day),” he said.

Mirabai looked a little surprised to see me and smiled. “Aap event mein nahi gaye (Didn’t you go to the event)?” she asked. Then came that familiar smile.

Fast forward to yesterday. Mira had promised me her jersey for the museum, so I called to check if she was at the hotel so I could collect it.

“They have closed the weightlifting training venue, Sir,” she told me. “Vijay Sir has booked a club 20 minutes from the hotel, and we are going there to train. I will call you on the way back and we can meet.”

Vijay ji sent me the location soon afterwards, and the plan was set. Exactly two hours later, he called.

“We are on our way back,” he said. “You can join us in 10 minutes.”

As Mira stepped out of the Uber, it was evident she had just completed an intense training session. That is what makes her the athlete she is.

“I don’t want to stop at the Commonwealth Games,” she insisted. “My vision is firmly set on the Asian Games, and I can promise you I will leave no stone unturned to do well.”

Suddenly, there was steel in her eyes – a very different ruthlessness from the bubbly Mira we are all used to.

“This is the hunger I am talking about,” said her coach. “Mira has the fire burning within her, and that is what keeps her going.”

Earlier, I had seen Mira helping Vijay ji in the training hall, offering advice to younger athletes. When I asked her about it, she was back to being the Mira we know.

“Yes, I was helping Sir and trying to guide the younger athletes,” she said. “A number of them are from Manipur, and I can speak the language, which helps them. I want to do whatever I can for the sport, and Sir asked me to chip in.”

“Sir, you need to be different to become a world-beater,” added Vijay ji. “Yes, you have won a Commonwealth Games gold, but you cannot be satisfied. You have to forget the gold and start training for the Asian Games, which is a much tougher competition. We want this mindset in all our athletes. Why should there be only one Mira? Others should learn from her so that there can be many more like her.”

The truth, however, is that there is only one Mirabai Chanu.

India’s greatest-ever weightlifter.

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Narender Berwal earned a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games boxing finals. He lost a close heavyweight bout to England's Damar Thomas. Berwal expressed determination to improve and succeed at the upcoming Asian Games. Indian boxers experienced several narrow losses, impacting their overall medal potential. The team achieved its most successful Commonwealth Games boxing campaign with ten medals.

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday congratulated Indian athletes Gulveer Singh and Narender Berwal for their medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games 2026.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh congratulated Gulveer Singh on winning the bronze medal in the men’s 5,000m event and hailed his historic achievement.

The Defence Minister said Gulveer’s feat would inspire young athletes to pursue excellence with dedication and perseverance, while wishing him continued success.

“A historic moment for Indian athletics at the Commonwealth Games. Heartiest congratulations to Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh on winning the bronze medal in the Men’s 5,000m event. With this achievement, he has scripted history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win medals in both the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events at a single edition of the Commonwealth Games. This remarkable feat will inspire countless young athletes to pursue excellence with dedication and perseverance. Wishing him continued success and many more laurels for the nation," Singh wrote.

Singh also congratulated boxer Narender Berwal for winning the silver medal in the men’s +90kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2026.

Rajnath said Narender’s performance had brought immense pride to the nation and reflected the “rising strength of Indian boxing". He also wished the boxer continued success and many more laurels for the country in the years ahead.

“A silver medal earned through exceptional skill, determination, and unwavering resolve on the world stage. Heartfelt congratulations to Narender Berwal on winning the Silver Medal in the Men’s +90kg boxing event at the Commonwealth Games 2026. His remarkable performance has brought immense pride to the nation and reflects the rising strength of Indian boxing. Wishing him continued success and many more laurels for India in the years ahead," Singh wrote on X.

India will enter the final day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 with an impressive haul of 39 medals, comprising 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, despite the reduced sports programme (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

2026 કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં ભારતીય બોક્સરો અને વેઇટલિફ્ટર્સની સફળતા વચ્ચે, એથ્લેટિક્સમાં પણ કેટલાક પ્રભાવશાળી પરિણામો જોવા મળ્યા. સૌથી પ્રભાવશાળી પ્રદર્શન દેશના નંબર વન લાંબા અંતરના દોડવીર ગુલવીર સિંહનું હતું, જેમણે ફક્ત એક નહીં, પરંતુ બે મેડલ જીતીને ઇતિહાસ રચ્યો. ગુલવીરે ગેમ્સમાં પોતાની અંતિમ ઇવેન્ટ, 5000 મીટર દોડમાં પણ બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો, જે આવું કરનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય ખેલાડી બન્યો. ભારતીય સેનાના નાયબ સુબેદાર ગુલવીરે અગાઉ 10,000 મીટર દોડમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ જીત્યો હતો.

દોડમાં તમામ રાષ્ટ્રીય રેકોર્ડ બનાવ્યા

28 વર્ષીય ગુલવીર સિંહ,જેમણે 3000 મીટરથી 25 કિલોમીટર સુધીની લાંબા અંતરની દોડમાં તમામ રાષ્ટ્રીય રેકોર્ડ બનાવ્યા છે, તે આ કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સનું મુખ્ય ધ્યાન કેન્દ્રિત કર્યું હતું. જો કે, તે પછી પણ, કોઈને ખાતરી નહોતી કે તે મેડલ જીતશે, ખાસ કરીને બંને ઇવેન્ટમાં. આ કેન્યા અને નાઇજીરીયા જેવા દેશોની હાજરીને કારણે હતું, જે લાંબા અંતરની દોડમાં સૌથી વધુ સફળ રહ્યા છે. પરંતુ ગુલવીરે ત્રિરંગો લહેરાવ્યા પછી જ શ્વાસ લીધો.

ગુલવીરે અંતિમ સેકન્ડમાં મેડલ જીત્યો.

શનિવાર, 1 ઓગસ્ટના રોજ, ગ્લાસગો ગેમ્સના 10મા દિવસે મોડી સાંજે 5000 મીટર દોડ યોજાઈ. શરૂઆતથી જ, ભારતના ગુલવીરે મજબૂત સ્થાન જાળવી રાખ્યું. તે અંતિમ લેપ સુધી ટોચના પાંચમાં રહ્યો. પછી, અંતિમ લેપ શરૂ થતાં, તે થોડા સમય માટે ચોથા સ્થાનેથી પાંચમા સ્થાને સરકી ગયો. જોકે, મહત્વપૂર્ણ ક્ષણે, તેણે પોતાની ગતિ વધારી અને ઝડપથી ત્રીજા સ્થાને પહોંચી ગયો.

કેન્યાના દોડવીરને 0.04 સેકન્ડથી હરાવ્યો

અંતિમ 200 થી 300 મીટરમાં, કેન્યાના કોર્નેલિયસ કેમ્બોઈએ તેને પાછળ છોડી દેવાનો ખૂબ પ્રયાસ કર્યો, પરંતુ ગુલવીરે મજબૂતી જાળવી રાખી અને અંતે 13:24.95 મિનિટમાં પૂર્ણ કરીને બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો. તેણે કેન્યાના દોડવીરને 0.04 સેકન્ડથી હરાવ્યો. કેન્યાના મેથ્યુ કિપ્સાંગ (13:23.61) એ આ ઇવેન્ટમાં ગોલ્ડ મેડલ જીત્યો, જ્યારે ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાના કે રોબિન્સન (13:24.70) એ સિલ્વર જીત્યો.

આ સીમાચિહ્ન સુધી પહોંચનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય

આ સાથે, ગુલવીર સિંહ 5000 મીટરમાં કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય ખેલાડી બન્યા. વધુમાં, તે એક જ કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં બે અલગ-અલગ એથ્લેટિક્સ મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય પણ બન્યો. આ સફળ દોડના માત્ર ચાર દિવસ પહેલા, તેણે 10,000 મીટરમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ પણ જીત્યો હતો, જેનાથી તે આ મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય બન્યો હતો. ત્યાં પણ, ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાના રોબિન્સને તેને હરાવીને ગોલ્ડ જીત્યો.

આ પણ વાંચો - CWG 2026: નરેન્દ્ર બરવાલે પુરુષોની 90+ કિગ્રા ફાઈનલમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ જીત્યો

London [UK], August 2 (ANI): England Test captain Joe Root said the appointment of Stephen Fleming as head coach was a major factor behind his decision to take up the leadership role again, adding that he is excited about building something special with the experienced coach.

According to Cricinfo, Root spoke with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and said Fleming’s vision for the team and his understanding of the areas that need improvement impressed him.

The ECB had earlier confirmed the appointments of Fleming as head coach and Root as Test captain, with the duo taking over from Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

“If I’m being brutally honest, it [Fleming’s appointment] was a big reason why I wanted to do it. I’m very excited by the way he sees the game, where he sees us sit as a team, and the work that we have to do to get to where we want to get to. All of that got me very excited about taking this role on," Root said.

Root said he was looking forward to working with Fleming, who has extensive experience as both a player and coach.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with him. He’s obviously got a wealth of experience and done some amazing things within the game as a player and as a coach, and I’m very much looking forward to the next little while, and us trying to build something pretty special together," he said.

Reflecting on the last four years of his career, Root said the period had been the most enjoyable of his professional cricket journey and credited the team’s approach for helping him develop his understanding of the game.

“The last four years have been the most fun I’ve had in professional cricket, and a big part of that was down to the way that they got me to see the game, how I fit into that side, and the experiences that we managed to create on and off the field," Root said, according to Cricinfo.

The England Test skipper acknowledged that recent results may dominate discussions but said the team had achieved several positive things over the four-year period, which he intends to draw upon in his leadership.

“Clearly, the last little while is probably what’s fresh in everyone’s mind, but you’re looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of amazing things. I’ve taken a lot from that, and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach things moving forward as a leader of this team," he said.

“The thing that stands out the most for me is the shift in mindset that was created around how we want to play the game: trying to strip the fear away from things, make sure guys feel that they can really just allow their talent to come out as frequently as possible, and in big moments in games. The more that can happen, the better," he added.

Root also stressed the importance of balancing an aggressive approach with the ability to adapt to different match situations.

“If we can do that alongside recognising when the right time is to put pressure back on teams, or when the right time is to soak it up and to maybe play situations slightly differently, become a little bit smarter in certain areas, then I think we’ll be a very formidable team, and a very difficult team to break down and to beat," he said.

Meanwhile, England are expected to announce their squad for the three-Test series against Pakistan next week, with most players currently featuring in The Hundred. The team will have just two full training days ahead of the opening Test at Headingley on August 19, with Marcus Trescothick set to serve as interim head coach as Fleming will be in New Zealand due to family commitments. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)