Manipur's Mirabai Chanu is worthy of Thor's hammer? Chris Hemsworth thinks so

Manipur’s Mirabai Chanu, who began India’s medal rush at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham with a gold, has become the stuff of legend. A power-packed performance that saw her crush a formidable field (Mirabai lifted a total of 201 kg – 88 kg in snatch and 113 kg in clean and jerk – to create a new CWG record) earned her undisputed respect and honour.

Now, the diminutive weightlifter has found a new fan in Chris Hemsworth, who plays the ‘God of Thunder’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What’s more, Hemsworth, a towering physical specimen himself, believes the Manipur lass is worthy enough of weilding Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor.

The ‘Thor’ star entered the scene after Indian YouTube user Saurabh Sinha reacted to a post by Chanu with the words: Time for Thor to give up his hammer.

Hemsworth, who was tagged in the post, was quick to respond. ‘She is worthy! Congrats, Saikhom, you legend’, the actor wrote.

The Australian actor has a strong presence on Twitter (8 million followers) and his comment garnered over 22,000 likes and 3,000 retweets.

With 50 Gold medals, Australia is currently leading the medals tally at the CWG Games 2022.

As per the Marvel comics lore, only ‘worthy’ individuals can lift the hammer of Thor, which is made of the mythical alien substance Uru. Odin placed several enchantments upon Mjolnir prior to Thor wielding the hammer: No living being may wield it unless they are worthy. This is reflected in the inscription on the side of Mjolnir, which states: Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.

Chanu, since her recent triumph, has undoubtedly earned a legion of fans and scores of compliments from the who’s who of the nation. But as far as compliments go, Hollywood star Hemsworth’s might be the best one yet.