Morning Stars | Mirabai Chanu: ‘I’d like to have breakfast with Salman Khan’

Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu says she listens to meditation music while she does yoga in the mornings. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

Note to readers: Morning Stars is a series of interviews with achievers across fields about their morning routine and how they get ready for the day ahead. Mornings bring optimism and a fresh start. And how we spend them sets the tone for the day.

Mirabai Chanu, early to the podium at the Tokyo Olympics, is also early to rise each day.

“To keep our body healthy and fit, to get up in time for training, I’m in bed by 9.45 pm and up by 6 or 6.30 am,” Mirabai Chanu tells Moneycontrol in the green room during an adidas event for athletes in Mumbai on December 5, 2021.

At the Olympics, Chanu hoisted 87kg and then 115 kg to win silver in the 49kg weightlifting category. It was the first day of the Games, and Chanu’s medal not only took some pressure off the rest of the Indian contingent, it also made them believe. Indian went on to have its finest Olympics, winning seven medals.

In person, the 4 ’11" Chanu is soft-spoken and laughs easily. A conversation with her on how she begins her day:

How many hours of sleep do you need? What do you like, or not like, about mornings?

To keep our body healthy and fit, to get up in time for training, I’m in bed by 9.45 pm and up by 6 or 6.30 am. Even if I have a free day, I like to maintain this routine. The only exceptions are when there are family gatherings or functions that finish late.

I like the peace of mornings, of the sunrise hour. And if I’m home in Imphal (Manipur), it’s cool and there are hills around.

The morning after you won the medal in Tokyo must have been special…

I didn’t sleep the entire night. It was still day in India then and there were lots of calls. And then many athletes from the Indian contingent wished me. They said I had made them proud by winning a medal on the first day. It was nice.

Prayer, motivational music, podcasts – what do you like to listen to in the morning?

Meditation music, while I do yoga.

Any memories of morning training in your early days?

I remember a camp in Manipur in 2009/10. I made a lot of friends there and, importantly, got a chance to train with seniors. That proved to be one of the important moments of my career.

Let’s talk about breakfast, glorious breakfast. What do you like to see on the table for the first meal of the day?

Maintaining body weight is crucial in my sport. Mostly I eat boiled egg, boiled mushrooms, salads and some bread.

That’s when you are in battle mode. What if it’s off-season?

My one favourite dish is pizza. I can have it any time (laughs).

Also read: From Mirabai Chanu’s pizza to Vasily Alekseyev’s mighty meals

Someone introduce a Pizza Margherita Mirabai, please. Ok, what about news? What is your news source?

Nowadays, it’s mostly social media. Earlier I would read the newspaper. But I stopped when the pandemic began. Aside from the overall gloom in the world, there also was uncertainty over the Tokyo Olympics. Reading the news started to affect me.

All’s well that ends on the podium, right? Any famous person you’d like to have breakfast with?

I have had the opportunity of having breakfast with Sachin Sir (Tendulkar). Someday I’d like to have a meal with Salman Khan. I’m a fan.