Nagpur: Sportspersons go to extreme lengths to achieve their dream. Some toil hard under the sun, some burn midnight oil and there are a few who do away with their hard-earned money to fulfil their dreams.
Nagpur’s powerlifter Rashmi Iyer belongs to the last category. With fire in her belly, the city’s fitness trainer claimed the gold medal for India at the Powerlifting World Championship 2024 which was held at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and was organised by WPC Federation.
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
However, reaching the podium was not an easy task for Rashmi, mother of a 13-year-old son. The first and biggest challenge was arranging funds for her journey. As the team was not supported by the Indian Government, Rashmi had to arrange funds on her own. She went to several corporate houses in Nagpur but returned empty-handed. Even the politicians refused to help her out. With no help, she decided to take the biggest risk of her life. She sold some of her gold jewellery and broke her husband Ganesh’s savings (FD’s). Her only dream was to win gold for the country and she was ready to go to any extent. Her hard work paid and she managed to clinch the gold medal for India in Kyrgyzstan, a local newspaper reported.
The journey was difficult as Rashmi had to double up her preparation. “I have been trying to qualify for the World Championship for the last four years. I suffered a lower back injury 15 days prior to the championship and then was diagnosed with dengue. Still I was determined to participate in this championship,” narrated Rashmi, who is a five-time national powerlifting champion.
Competing in the under 60kg category (57.4 kg), Rashmi lifted an impressive total of 227.5kg, securing the gold medal beating around 600+ athletes from more than 20 countries.
