Fresh off her Olympic glory, Indian weightlifter Mirabai
Chanu is cherishing her moments with the country’s top movie and
cricket stars. Chanu won Silver in the women’s 49kg category on the first day
of the Tokyo Olympic Games on July 24. The 26-year-old revealed she is a “big fan” of Salman Khan
after the Bollywood superstar took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a picture
of their “lovely meeting.”
Khan said he
was happy for Chanu, who replied by saying the moment was a “dream come true”
for her.
Chanu lifted 202kg (87kg+115kg) in total to end India’s
21-year long wait for an Olympic medal in weightlifting after former
weightlifter Karnam Malleswari’s bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Chanu also shared pictures of her meeting with former India
cricket captain and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday morning.
She said she was “really inspired” by the batting maestro and will hold onto his
“words of wisdom and
motivation” forever.
Tendulkar, who presented Chanu with a bouquet of flowers, was
all praises for the weightlifter. “You’re a champion whose journey can inspire
several more champions! Keep soaring in your life & career!” he wrote
on Instagram.
The Indian contingent finished with the country’s best-ever Olympic
medal tally of seven at the Tokyo Games, beating the previous best of six.
While javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created history by winning
gold with 87.58m throw on August 7, Chanu and Ravi Kumar Dahiya clinched silver
medals. PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, men’s hockey team, and Bajrang Punia won a
bronze medal each for the country.
The popularity of Olympic medallists has soared dramatically
owing to their heroics at the Games.
World Athletics, the global governing body for track and
field events, recently ranked Chopra’s performance among the top 10 “magical
moments” of the Games, terming it a major factor in the “skyrocketing” of his profile.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the entire contingent to the Red Fort for Independence Day celebrations.
