An Indian powerlifter who won a silver medal at a world championship has spoken out after being targeted with online harassment and objectified for her looks, calling the ordeal “sexism at its finest”.
Keyaa Kunal Banerji, 21, showed remarkable strength early in her career at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, late last month.
Weighing 45.7kg in the Junior Women’s 47kg category, Banerji pulled 140kg in the dead lift, more than three times her body weight, to claim second place in the individual dead lift event and secure a silver medal.
However, after a video of her performance went viral online, the promising young athlete was forced to navigate unwelcome internet fame as public discussion quickly shifted away from her athletic achievement and towards her physical appearance.
According to Indian news agency ANI, Banerji faced cyberbullying, attacks from fake accounts, photo misuse, and thousands of unauthorised AI-altered images generated using her likeness.
“I think it was just sexism at its finest. I don’t think I can put it any other way. The way I was treated, men would never have to face this, like after winning a championship or something like that; a male athlete never has to face something like this,” Banerji said.
