![\"\u201cMen](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133879602,imgsize-96685,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/keyaa-banerji-lifted-140-kg-at-457-kg-won-world-silver-and-still-had-to-defend-herself-from-online-sexism.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nIndian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji has opened up about the sexism and online abuse she faced after her remarkable silver-medal performance at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Speaking to ANI, the 21-year-old said that while she was proud of lifting 140 kg in the deadlift in the Junior Women\u2019s 47 kg category, the conversation online soon shifted from her sporting achievement to her appearance and identity.<\/p>\n Keyaa Banerji\u2019s performance at the World Championships was a major milestone in her young powerlifting career. Competing in the Junior Women\u2019s 47 kg category, she finished fifth overall but secured a silver medal for her 140 kg deadlift. The lift was extraordinary considering her competition bodyweight of just 45.70 kg. The 140 kg deadlift was more than three times her bodyweight and became one of the standout moments of the championship after a video of the lift went viral on social media. For Banerji, however, the moment was the result of two years of hard work rather than an overnight success.\u201cI think initially it is a great feeling. Once it came out on social media, I did get a little bit overwhelmed. There was some negative attention, but I would like to avoid talking about that too much,\u201d Keyaa said while speaking to ANI. \u201cI am very proud of myself and very happy with my accomplishment. I have been working towards this for two years. This silver medal was something I wasn\u2019t expecting initially,\u201d she added.She had entered the championship hoping to gain experience at the global level. Instead, she returned with a medal and a performance that drew attention from across social media. \u201cIt started with me thinking that this World Championship is something I’m going to attend just for experience. The fact that I ended up putting such a good number up and winning a medal was just absolutely incredible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the viral video brought Banerji widespread attention, she said much of the online reaction was not about her strength, preparation, or silver medal. Instead, she faced trolling, impersonation, sexual harassment, and comments about her appearance, ethnicity, ancestry, and caste. She also said thousands of AI-generated and manipulated images using her face and body were circulated without her consent. Her previous private Instagram account was also suspended, after which she created a new account.Speaking about the experience, Banerji described it as sexism and said she believed a male athlete would not have faced the same kind of treatment after winning a major championship. \u201cI think it was just sexism at its finest. I don\u2019t think I can put it in 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,\u201d Keyaa said.\u201cMost of the conversation revolved around my appearance. All people would talk about was my appearance, and I think that really bothered me because I had accomplished something so big for myself and I had done something so big in my sport,\u201d she added. For Banerji, the reaction was particularly painful because it overshadowed an achievement she had spent years working towards.<\/p>\n The 140 kg deadlift may have won Banerji a silver medal, but it was not the heaviest weight she had ever lifted. She explained that competition-day performances can be very different from training sessions, and 140 kg was actually on the lower end of the range she and her coach had planned. \u201cCompetition day numbers and training numbers aren’t always the same. Performing as an athlete on competition day is very different from what you do in training. In powerlifting, we usually try to hit maxes in competition,\u201d she said.\u201cAlthough my result worked out in a way that I won a silver medal as an athlete, the planning that my coach and I had done, 140 kg, was on the lower end of the range for what we were planning to hit that day,\u201d Keyaa added. During training, she had lifted around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. The 147.5 kg mark was also the Asian record she had hoped to challenge on the world stage. \u201cIn training, I have hit around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. 147.5 kg is also the Asian record. So, my ideal day would have been breaking the Asian record on stage. I was a little disheartened that I wasn’t able to do that,\u201d she said.Her 140 kg attempt was her second deadlift. She then tried 142.5 kg but failed to complete the lift. \u201c140 kg wasn’t my third deadlift; it was my second deadlift. It moved a little bit slower than expected compared to how it moves in training. So, I took a smaller jump of 142.5 after that, and I failed that lift. It wasn’t an ideal day, but things worked out,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nFrom a 45.70 kg athlete to a
\u201cMost of the conversation revolved around my appearance\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHer 140 kg lift was not even her best<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
A silver medal today, a world title tomorrow<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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