Mirabai Chanu pulls out of World Championships; Gyaneshwari finishes eighth

India's Mirabai Chanu (PTI Photo)

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Gyaneshwari Yadav finished eighth in the women's 53kg category at the IWF World Championships on Thursday, while India's star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu withdrew from the event due to a back issue.Gyaneshwari, 23, from Chhattisgarh, recorded a combined lift of 198kg, with 88kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk, to finish on top of Group C. Her total was also better than those achieved by several lifters from Groups A and B.The Asian Championship silver medallist could have improved on her personal best of 199kg and secured a higher overall finish had she converted two missed attempts, one in each section.Chanu, meanwhile, was forced to pull out before making her much-anticipated debut in the 53kg category. She had been assigned to Group B with an entry total of 200kg but withdrew after experiencing back pain.China's Zhang Haiqin claimed the gold medal with a total of 221kg (98kg+123kg). American Eleanor Ulrey took silver with 220kg (98kg+122kg), while North Korea's So Hyon Kim secured bronze with 214kg (91kg+123kg).

The snatch competition also saw seven lifters register lifts of at least 90kg, a benchmark Chanu has been working towards for more than six years.At the World Championships, lifters are divided into groups based on their declared entry totals, which represent the combined weight they intend to lift in the snatch and clean and jerk. Group A features those with the highest entry totals, followed by Groups B, C and D.The World Championships is among six events in the first phase of the qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.