Credit: Sanika S
Bengaluru: Girls lifting weights, even in modern times, is largely considered a taboo. ‘It will make a girl look muscular like a man’, ‘it isn’t a feminine activity to do’, ‘it messes with the monthly menstrual cycle’.. are some the most common fears and misconceptions.
For Sudhir Kumar’s family, though, lifting weights is about banishing such apprehensions while making it an identity they gleefully flaunt.
The Bhadravathi man in Shivamogga district is a former international weightlifter himself who married colleague Chandrashori of Manipur. With both parents as lifters, it was but natural to introduce the sport to their two children Sanketh and Sanika. And the first glimpses of future hopefuls took little time to come to notice, especially the daughter.
At the first edition of the Mini Karnataka Games in 2022, a seven-year-old competing with girls double her age and size made heads turn. Taking her stance before clearing 17 kgs in snatch and 21 kgs in clean & jerk for a total of 38 kgs gave Sanika a bronze in the girls’ under 40 kg category which created a flutter in the lifting community.
“We have a gym attached to our house here and Sanika spent more time at the weights hall than inside the house ever since she was a toddler,” reminisced father and coach Sudhir, who has won three consecutive Commonwealth Games bronze medals - 2002 Manchester, 2006 Melbourne and 2010 New Delhi - in the men’s 69 kg section.
“One day, when she was around 5-6 years old, it was my mother who observed Sanika mimicking weightlifting moves. It was so naturally in sync that amma suggested that it was about time to slowly start her training too. That’s how it all began,” he explained.
A third-place finish in her maiden tournament was the beginning of many accolades that awaited the youngster. The now 10-year-old has since won a bronze (2022) and two gold medals (2023, 2024) at the junior State weightlifting meets. Sanika, who finished on the podium while competing in the under-17 40 kg category, once again turned out to be the star attraction at the 2023 Dasara Games despite missing a medal by a whisker. But the fact that her fourth place came in the seniors section in Mysuru further attests her potential in weightlifting. With few women from Karnataka known for the sport, Sanika is now a ray of hope.
“Yes, school and then practice,” shared Sanika, who won gold again with lifts of 51 kgs (snatch) and 58 kgs (clean & jerk) for a total of 109 kgs at the fourth Mini Karnataka Games a few weeks ago in Bengaluru. However, she will not be allowed to compete in the state junior events for a while due to the Indian Weightlifting Federation rule that requires participants to be 13 years or older.
“People have some wrong notions about girls doing weightlifting. Like, it affects us from getting taller. But its not true. It makes me strong, bold and makes me face everything with courage. So girls should definitely lift,” said the fifth grade student of St Josephs School in Bhadravathi.
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