Indian weightlifting sensation Mirabai Chanu did not disappoint either at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, giving India its maiden gold medal last week. The Olympic silver medalist broke Commonwealth and Games records in the snatch with a total lift of 201 kg (88 kg 113 kg) in the showpiece event.
Chanu, 27, added a third Games medal to her resume, after winning silver and gold in the Glasgow and Gold Coast editions respectively. Social media intensified to applaud Chanu’s success and one of her fans was Chris Hemsworth, who lauded the Indian ‘legend’ but with a ‘Thor’ twist.
“Time for Thor to drop his hammer,” wrote one fan tagging Hemsworth, who plays the Marvel character Thor, in his tweet marking Chanu’s incredible performance in games. “He deserves it! Congratulations, Saikhom, you legend,” replied Hemsworth.
See Chris Hemsworth’s reply to Mirabai Chanu here…
He deserves it! Congratulations, Saikhom, you legend. — chris hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) 4 August 2022
Responding to the Hollywood star’s praise, Mirabai Chanu wrote, “Thank you very much @chrishemsworth Love to see you always.”
thank you so much @Chris Hemsworth always like to see you. https://t.co/RFNWiDd11Y— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) 5 August 2022
Meanwhile, as soon as Noah Dastgir Butt Pakistan won its first gold medal at the Birmingham Games, one of the first to congratulate was none other than Indian superstar Mirabai Chanu. As an Olympic medalist, Chanu has catapulted herself to superstardom and is an icon not only in India but also for the weightlifters of the neighboring country.
“It was a proud moment for me when he congratulated me and praised my performance,” Butt told news agency PTI.
The 24-year-old Pakistani broke records in all three sports – 173 in snatch, 232 in clean and jerk and overall. “We look to Mirabai for inspiration. He has shown us that, we can win Olympic medals from South Asian countries too. We were very proud of him when he won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.”
Gurdeep Singh won the bronze medal in the same category and Butt considers the Indian one of his close friends. “We have been very good friends for the last seven-eight years. We have trained together abroad several times. We are always in touch,” Butt said.
(with PTI input)