Her capacity to remain cheerful in the face of hardship is among Mirabai Chanu's most encouraging qualities. When asked to evaluate her performance at this year's Olympics, Chanu's ear-to-ear smile has stayed constant, regardless of the high she had in Tokyo or the heartache she experienced in Paris.

However, finishing in fourth place is frequently more than a failure. It's the most painful outcome in sports, especially when one narrowly misses it.

As a silver medallist from the Tokyo Olympics, Chanu came into Paris as one of India's best chances to win a medal, but it was always going to be difficult to defeat China's reigning champion Hou Zhihui and Thailand's 2021 world champion Surodchana Khambao.

"If I want to win a medal in Los Angeles, I know I have to step up my game," she stated. Even though it's still four years away and it's unclear if Chanu's injured body will be able to endure that long, the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are a feasible yet unmet goal.

In light of this, Chanu has been making small progress toward reaching her ideal level of fitness. After Paris, she stayed at home for a few weeks. In October, Chanu took a 10-day flight to St. Louis, Missouri, to continue seeing Dr. Aaron Horschig. She has only lately begun lifting little weights because her rehabilitation is still her top priority.