New Delhi: Twenty-one-year-old Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji has won the silver medal in the deadlift at the IPF Junior World Championships in South Africa.
Banerji lifted 140 kg in the deadlift, nearly three times her bodyweight of 45.70kg. She finished fifth overall at the Sub-Junior & Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City in the Junior Women’s 47 kg category while securing silver in the individual deadlift event.
Banerji recorded a 90 kg squat and a 50 kg bench press, finishing with a 280 kg total. Her best result came in the deadlift, where she successfully completed a 140 kg lift to finish second in the discipline.
France’s Ines Herbaux won the gold medal after lifting 165 kg. Ireland’s Blathnaid O’Dwyer also managed a 140-kg lift, but Banerji finished ahead of her in the deadlift to take silver.
Her latest performance marks a significant improvement from last year, when she competed in the same 47 kg junior category. At that event, she recorded an 82.5 kg squat, a 127 kg deadlift and a 257.5 kg total.
People on social media are appreciating and congratulating her. Some are appreciating her talent, some are talking about her beauty and some are just happy that such incidents are bringing powerlifting in mainstream news.
“Awesome 141 kilo deadlift, congratulations Keyaa!” wrote one user on an Instagram post.
“Badass of an achievement while having that insane face card,” said another user, commenting on her appearance alongside her sporting achievement.
“Beauty with strength. Finally powerlifting in the news,” another user commented.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)
