Commonwealth gold medalist Mirabai Chanu didn't eat or drink anything for 3 days before her event

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won her third gold and fourth medal today at the Commonwealth Games held in Scotland. While speaking to the press post the event, Chanu, who is also an Olympic medallist, revealed that the toughest part of her gold-winning journey was controlling the weight. Chanu, who took part in the 48 kg category, said that for three days she hasn't eaten or drunk anything! "Previously, when I was competing in the 49 category, it wasn't so tough. Now, when I compete in the 48 category, it is very difficult to maintain my weight. In fact, it is the toughest part of the event. This is the last time I can take part in the 48 kg category," Chanu said. 

This level of restricting food and water to compete in sports events is called 'weight cutting ', and it is quite common in events like weightlifting. Athletes often use rapid weight loss methods to compete in such events. Chanu, who is 31, has said that, as her normal weight is around 50.5 to 51 kg, she has to work really hard to cut weight. For an athlete like her who is extremely muscular and lean, 'there is no more fat to lose,' she said jokingly in a press interaction. In the upcoming LA2028 Olympics, the lowest category for weightlifting in women would be 53 kg. Chanu's coach Vijay Sharma said that it would work in favour of Chanu as maintaining her weight at 48 kg has been a taxing process. Regardless, she will be competing in 48/49 kg in the upcoming Asian Games in September. 

The effects of weight cutting
According to the National Institutes of Health, which studied the practice among weightlifters,' the practice often results in anxiety, irritation, low mood, fatigue and obviously, hunger in a large number of athletes, especially women athletes. Many studies have also said that such starvation methods stress organs quite a bit and can even impair kidney function. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) restructured the Olympic weight divisions after understanding how weight cutting places extreme strain on athletes.