Mirabai Chanu turned 27 and celebrated the day in presence of Manipur CM N Biren Singh.
Olympian Mirabai Chanu turned 27 years old today. The weightlifter, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in Women's 49 kg category, celebrated the special day in the presence of N Biren Singh, the Chief Minister Of Manipur. On the occasion, the champion cut a cake at the Chief Minister's official residence. A video was shared on social media by the leader and features Ms Chanu cutting the cake with Mr Singh. Sharing the video, Mr Singh wrote, “It was a pleasure having Mirabai Chanu at my official residence on her 27th birthday. Wishing you a very happy birthday, Mirabai. May you continue to bring laurels to the country.”
Ms Chanu responded to the tweet by thanking the Chief Minister for his warm gesture. Quote-tweeting the post, she wrote, “Thank you, Hon'ble CM N Biren Singh sir, for making my birthday so special.”
The video received a lot of love on social media with wishes for Ms Chanu flowing in from all quarters. In just two hours, the video has been viewed over 52,900 times.
Replying to the footage, one user said, “Happy birthday, Champion...Wish you celebrate your birthday, in the same way, every four years.”
Another user noted that the gesture would “come as a huge motivation for her to do better and better.”
“May we continue to support and endorse the talent in the times to come. Laurels will follow,” read a comment.
A few days ago, Ms Chanu won hearts across the country by felicitating as many as 150 truck drivers. The weightlifter, who lived in Nongpok Kakching, had to travel over 25 km to Sports Academy in Manipur's capital Imphal for practice sessions. As she did not have the funds to make the journey every day, Ms Chanu would hitch a ride with the truckers near her village. After her win at the Olympics 2020, Ms Chanu conveyed her gratitude to the drivers and helpers by presenting them with a shirt, a Manipuri scarf and a full course meal.
The 27-year-old secured India's first Olympic medal in weightlifting since Karnam Malleswari's bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.