Explained: Grip issue that hampers Mira’s snatch technique

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 29

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is in a relaxed state of mind.

Barely 10 days ago, she smashed the world record in clean & jerk with a lift of 119kg at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Tashkent.

Her total lift of 205 kg (86kg in snatch and 119kg in clean & jerk) is a new national record, too.

This result — which brought her the bronze medal in Tashkent — and the announcement that the North Korean team will not travel to Tokyo for the Olympics made the 2017 world champion one of the leading contenders for the podium at Tokyo.

While she is confident of a much better performance in Tokyo than in the Rio Olympics — where she failed to register a single lift — the 26-year-old knows that she has to work on a few deficiencies, mostly in the snatch discipline, to stand a chance of winning a medal.

“I have to work hard in the snatch discipline,” Mirabai said during a media interaction facilitated by the SAI today.

“I am feeling some pain on the shoulder. Besides, I may need to work hard on the technique and then I will be able to do well in snatch,” the 2018 Rajiv Khel Ratna winner added.

Shoulder issue

Coach Vijay Sharma explained how the pain was affecting Mira’s performance. “Grip is wide in snatch and because of that there is a considerable load on the wrists and the shoulders,” Sharma told The Tribune.

“So if there is a problem with one of the shoulders — Mira has a problem on the left — the body adjusts and puts a bigger load on the other shoulder. This is what is happening. It is not a quick fix. We worked on this problem when we were training in the US (with Dr Aaron Horschig, a famed physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach) last year. We will get there,” Sharma added.

The chief coach added that Mirabai has the potential to lift 92-93kg in snatch but since she had a bad time with the back injury in 2018, it has made her a little conservative in her approach.

Mirabai too spoke about her shoulder trouble and said that she has requested for a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPs) funding to visit and train with Dr Horschig again.

“TOPs sent me to the US last year which helped me recover from the back problem. I don’t have a problem in my back any more,” she said. “I have sent another proposal to TOPs so that I get to the US again. Hopefully, I will be allowed to go there next month,” she added.