Mirabai Chanu, who is a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), is scheduled to leave the country on Saturday along with two others, including head coach Vijay Sharma.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will shift her base to St. Louis, USA, until the Olympics after Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) fast-tracked and approved her proposal on Friday.
Chanu, who recently won a bronze medal at the Asian Championship, setting the world record in clean and jerk section in the process, had said during a SAI-facilitated interaction on Thursday that she ‘hoped’ to travel to the USA but was concerned about the possibility of the tour getting cancelled because of the Covid-19 situation in India.
However, the MOC acted swiftly and decided to send Chanu to the USA on Saturday, before any restrictions are imposed on visitors from India. Chanu will be accompanied by her coaches Vijay Sharma and Sandeep Kumar. The weightlifter, who competes in the 49kg class, will spend the next 83 days in the build-up to the Olympics at St. Louis and will directly travel to Tokyo from there.
While there, Chanu will also get treated for her back and shoulder problems by physiotherapist Aaron Horschig, who worked on her during her first visit last year. Chanu and Sharma credited Horschig for improving her fitness, which they said enabled her to set the clean and jerk world record.
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