Weightlifter Gyaneshwari dreams of not just following Mirabai Chanu’s footsteps but leave her behind

GREATER NOIDA— Mirabai Chanu is an inspiration to many athletes but to Gyaneshwari Yadav she is also a competitor and the promising weightlifter dreams of not just scaling great heights like the Tokyo Olympic medallist but leaving her behind in competition.

Gyaneshwari competes in the same weight class as Mirabai — 49kg. In fact, the 20-year-old finished second to the former world champion during a ranking series last year.

“Mira didi is my inspiration and she is also a fighter (in the 49kg). So I always believe that one day I will leave her behind.

“Watching her is very motivating. She had created a world record in 49kg and I want to do the same,” Gyaneshwari told PTI.

Trying to narrate the first time she met her idol, the 2022 junior world championship silver medallist struggled to put her feelings into words.

“I met her in 2021 in NIS Patiala during a camp. It was after the Olympics. I just felt so happy seeing her. I hugged her and then spoke to her. That experience was just unbelievable. I can’t put it into words.”

Gyanshwari trains at NIS Patiala along with Mirabai, who is currently undergoing a 65-day training camp in St Louis, USA.

“Now, I meet her every day and she always meets me so nicely. I have learned a lot from seeing her train, her professionalism, and dedication while training gives me a lot of motivation.

“She has taken Indian weightlifting to the Olympic level and it’s a huge thing. I also want to create history for my country at the Olympics.”

While Gyaneshwari will be seen at the junior Asian Championships later this month, she missed out on the Asian Games, where Mirabai will represent India in the 49kg weight class.

“This time Asian Games Mira didi is there but next edition I will be there for sure,” she said oozing confidence.

Gyaneshwari, who hails from Bhondiya village in Chhattisgarh, won the 49kg gold at the ongoing Commonwealth Championships with a total effort of 178kg (78kg+98kg), here on Wednesday.

Gyaneshwari’s father Deepak Yadav was into bodybuilding but due to financial constraints, he gave up his passion. However, when his daughter decided to pursue weightlifting he was super supportive.

“My father used to do bodybuilding but due to our poor financial condition, he had left it. We moved from the village to the city.”

Initially, Gyaneshwari started out as a powerlifter but when she saw weightlifting she was enamoured by the sport.

In weightlifting, the lifter performs two lifts — snatch and the clean & jerk. However, powerlifters perform three lifts — a back squat, a bench press and a deadlift.

“Earlier I used to do powerlifting but then when I saw that the weight goes up in weightlifting I was very interested. So, I told my father I want to do weightlifting and he was supportive of it.

The family struggled with their finances during the pandemic with supplements costing a fortune. But Deepak, who now works as an electrician, continued supporting his daughter’s dream.

“Papa works as an electrician so it was a bit difficult, supplements are expensive and it was really difficult during COVID. But my dad never gave up and here I am. All these medals are for him.”

Not many from Chhattisgarh take up the sport and Gyaneshwari was also plagued by doubts but a medal at the world stage dispelled all uncertainty that this was her path.

“I started weightlifting but I was not sure if I would succeed. But when I won a medal in the junior Worlds last year, then I got the belief that yes I can do it,” the youngster said.