Mirabai Chanu and pizza - a mission achieved in Tokyo Olympics
Mirabai carved her name in India’s history by becoming the country’s second woman silver medallist at the Games. And there was only one way she wanted to celebrate it - with a big cheesy pizza.
Published : Jul 25, 2021 22:19 IST
Having passed Mission Tokyo with flying colours, Mirabai Chanu entered a new mission on Saturday evening - Mission Pizza. This would be the tastiest pizza of her life - one that is garnished with the glee of achieving her life's dream of winning an Olympic medal.
The 26-year-old weightlifter carved her name in India’s history by becoming the country’s second woman silver medallist at the Games. And there was only one way she wanted to celebrate it - with a big cheesy pizza.
She’d in fact been building her appetite by keeping a keen eye on the pizza counter at the Games Village in Tokyo. “Among all the varieties of junk food, I like pizza the most. And I’ve noticed since we got here that they have been serving pizzas at the Games Village. I’ve been eyeing the pizzas all along and I can finally eat one now!” she said after her silver-medal triumph.
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Her yearning for a pizza soon became the talk of the town and Domino’s India joined the party by throwing a little pizza party with her family back in Imphal. Mirabai, who has not been home in nearly two years, is expected to land in New Delhi on Monday and then travel home a few days later.
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The 49kg category is a particularly tough one because the lifters have to eat clean and stay within a permissible weight limit throughout the year. The Manipuri weighed 51 kilos and had to cut down to 49kgs by reducing her carbohydrate and fat intake in the two days before her event. It's common practice for lifters to lose weight before an event, but that does not mean it's easy.
This pizza, topped with cherry tomatoes, basil and cheese, and the many more to come, would surely make up for all those weight cuts she's had to undergo and for all the cravings she's had to let go of.