India, July 28 -- At the SEC Armadillo arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday, Mirabai Chanu stood on the podium, tears rolling down her eyes, as the Indian national anthem played. The 31-year-old weightlifter from Manipur had just won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold, an achievement that has etched her name in an echelon of India's sporting giants. Excerpts from a conversation with her: Jaise hi arena mein national anthem bajte hue suna, main yaad karne lagi ki main yahan tak kaise pahunchi. I was getting flashbacks of everything I had to sacrifice and overcome to reach the podium. After all that, standing in front of the world made me cry. Khushi ke aansu thhe. Under the spotlight, there are moments that not many talk about. An entire nation's expectations ride on you. Days before competition, an injury can shatter everything you've built. To return to the gym, fight through pain and start again, that's the part no one sees. In silence, with no one watching, I had to draw from every bit of mental strength I had, even on the days I felt completely down. Jiss din se mat pe aayi hoon, mera toh bas ek hi sapna hai ki India ko jitaungi, wahi kar rahi hoon. Mujhe uske aage nahin pata, lekin agar mera desh mujhe legend bula raha hai, toh yehi unka pyaar hai. Issi pyaar ke bharose medals laati hoon. What makes me laugh is people think weightlifter hai toh 'dham dham' waale gaane sunti hogi. But I love (late singer) Lata Mangeshkar ji. That's all that plays in the gym when I'm training. Everyone tells me, "aree aap to weightlifter ho, aap itne shaant gaane kyun sunti ho'. But her voice and simplicity give me peace, which translates into power. Music helps me a lot in building mental strength. I draw all my strength from the people around me who help me handle the pressure. My coach Vijay Sharma sir knows all about my game and every input of his is gold. I call my mom every day, and hearing her voice makes the pressure fade away. After every win or loss, these are the people I turn to, and they ground me like nothing else does. A dream I've seen all my life, but has always been missing, is a medal at the Asian Games (happening in Japan in September). That is the toughest competition for weightlifters. This time, I want to finally win it, and I am confident....