New Delhi: Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead India’s campaign at the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships, scheduled to be held at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre in China from October 27 to November 8.
The championships will mark the first of 10 qualifying events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, making the competition an important step in the Olympic qualification journey. The event is expected to feature more than 500 athletes from across the world.
Indian fans will be able to watch the competition through live streaming.
Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women’s 53 kg category as she begins her campaign in the new weight class for the LA 2028 Olympic cycle. The 49 kg category, in which she won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and competed at Paris 2024, has been dropped from the Olympic weightlifting programme.
The shift to the 53 kg category marks a new phase in the Indian weightlifter’s preparations for the 2028 Olympics.
Olympic Qualification Process
The 2026 World Weightlifting Championships will provide athletes with an opportunity to begin accumulating results towards Olympic qualification.
Under the qualification system, weightlifters must register three total results — combining their snatch and clean and jerk lifts — during the first qualification period and two during the second period. All results must be recorded in the same Olympic weight category.
The Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) will consider an athlete’s three best total results from the first qualification period and two best results from the second. Each kilogram lifted will count as one ranking point.
At the end of the qualification process, the top eight eligible weightlifters in each Olympic weight category will secure quota places for the Los Angeles Olympics, allocated to them by name.
India’s Squad
India’s women’s contingent, as listed, includes Mirabai Chanu and Gyaneshwari Yadav in the 53 kg category, along with Usha and Nirupama Devi Seram in the 61 kg category.
Lovepreet Singh will represent India in the men’s +110 kg category.
The championships will provide Indian lifters with an opportunity to test themselves against leading international competitors and begin their journey towards Olympic qualification.
[DD News]