Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has shared an image of herself on Twitter, proudly wearing the police uniform. She was offered the job last year in honour of her triumph at the Olympics.
She took charge as the Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports) in the Manipur police department on Saturday.
Ms Chanu, 27, won a silver medal in women's 49 kg weightlifting with a total lift of 202 kg at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. On return to her home in Manipur's Imphal East district, she was given a rousing welcome in July last year. At that time, the state government had announced that Ms Chanu would be appointed as the Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports).
After formally taking charge, Ms Chanu penned a thank you note to the state of Manipur and Chief Minister N Biren Singh. “It is an honour to have joined the Manipur Police as the Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports). I would like to thank the state of Manipur and our Hon'ble Chief Minister N Biren Singh sir for giving me this opportunity to serve the country and its citizens. Jai Hind,” she wrote in her post.
Ms Chanu comes from a family that has no history of sports. Her father, Saikhom Kriti Meitei, was a government employee and her mother, Saikhom Ongbi Tombi, had to sell samosas to manage the family expenses.
The star weightlifter won the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2018. Ms Chanu has won a silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, in the 48-kg category.
