Olympic silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu returns home to standing ovation upon arrival

Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu has landed at the Delhi Airport after her successful campaign at the Summer Games in Tokyo last week. The 27-year-old arrived to a rousing reception in the capital with chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" among others. Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian athlete to win a medal on the first day of the Olympics and is only the second after Karnam Malleswari to clinch a medal in weightlifting in over two decades.

#WATCH | Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu receives a warm welcome as the staff at the Delhi airport cheered for her upon her arrival from #TokyoOlympicspic.twitter.com/VonxVMHmeo

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2021

THE CHAMPION IS BACK! 💪👧@mirabai_chanu returns home after making us proud at #TokyoOlympics@IndiaSports@ianuragthakur@Media_SAIpic.twitter.com/y18xrkJ65W

— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 26, 2021

Happy to be back here in amidst so much love and support. Thank You so much 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/ttjGkkxlDu

— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) July 26, 2021

The athlete from Manipur was escorted out of the airport by security personnel while the airport staff cheered her on. Mirabai, who was wearing her India training jersey, did not have the silver medal around her neck though. Chanu opened the country's account with a silver in the women's 49 kg category at the Tokyo Games, finally exorcising the ghosts of her disastrous outing in the Rio Games five years ago. “Happy to be back here in amidst so much love and support. Thank You so much,” she tweeted after landing. Chanu has also been a former world champion and a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist.