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When Men Could Not Accept Mirabai Chanu’s “Excuse”

Netizens praise Mirabai Chanu's Olympic efforts but some raised objection on her using her periods as an excuse to justify her performance. Except that she never did so.

Mirabai Chanu Edited by
When Men Could Not Accept Mirabai Chanu’s “Excuse”

When Men Could Not Accept Mirabai Chanu’s “Excuse” (image-X/BiswajitThongam)

Mirabai Chanu secured 4th position in the women’s 49 kg even at the Paris Olympics. The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist finished with 199 points (88 kg snatch + 111 kg clean & jerk) to finish one point adrift of eventual bronze medallist Surodchana Khambao of Thailand.

While speaking to the media, Chanu revealed that although she recovered completely from her injury, she was on the third day of her period. “I have recovered fully from my injury, but it was the third day of that week of the month. It impacted me a bit. But this is not an excuse. We train to cope with this, because this is the most natural thing to happen to any woman,” said the wrestler.

Read Also: Mirabai Chanu Finishes 4th In Paris 2024; Misses Podium By Whisker

But the internet happened.

A social media user by the name of Mufaddal Vohra tweeted a post (now deleted) quoting her but conveniently chose to omit the part where the wrestler herself states that her periods are not an excuse. As is common with the internet, while several praised Chanu’s efforts and determination to achieve her feats at the Olympics, many jumped on the waggon to express their opinions on Chanu and her periods.

One user remarked, “Today I found out how periods can affect someone’s medal,” while another user, disapproving of Chanu’s behaviour, expressed, “I’m sorry but She needs to stop giving these excuses lord what’s wrong with these athletes.”

From “wow what an excuse” to “That’s a weak excuse, as if our country is the only one with women,” several men came forward with their thoughts on the matter, defending the spirit of the sport. But none bothered to check what Chanu actually said.

Meanwhile, some users came forward with examples of how, in the past, many have overcome their issues. For instance, one user noted, “Jasprit Bumrah was on the second day of his sperm cramps during the T20 World Cup final but he didn’t complain. Some athletes are just built different.”

Another user going by the handle Bruce Wayne penned a long note on why Chanu was wrong (she isn’t) for using periods as an excuse (she didn’t) to justify her performance in the Olympics. Citing an example of a Romanian weightlifter, the netizen expressed strongly, “I can guarantee you that many female athlete would have been facing periods during these competitions but none will make such excuse at the biggest stage.”

He was not done yet. Declaring that Mirabai Chanu just “didn’t giver her best,” the user added, “If you are here to make excuse then make way for the other ones who don’t. Mirabai Chanu you didn’t give your best.” But mind you, the user made sure to support the other female athletes: “We saw others who gave their level best like Romanian and Chinese weightlifter and our own Vinesh Phogat.”

Read Also: Imane Khelif And The Many Female Athletes Who Were Bullied Over Gender Identity

But worry not, for there is still hope in the world. Many users denounced the tone deaf and ignorant comments, lacking in self-awareness. As one user summarises it, “Times when I feel ashamed of being a man. The absurd comments on her are the ugly reality of our society. Men are commenting as if they bleed every month. Well, We are proud of Mirabai Chanu for giving her beat. The nation is proud of her.”

Topics
menstrual cycle Mirabai Chanu mirabai chanu paris olympics Paris Olympics 2024

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