Odisha Athletes Shine at IWF World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Peru

Bhubaneswar: Odisha athletes Preetismita Bhoi and Jyoshna Sabar achieved remarkable success at the IWF World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Lima, Peru, today. Preetismita Bhoi set a new world record and won the gold medal in the 40 Kg category, while Jyoshna Sabar secured the silver medal in the same competition and category.

Sixteen-year-old Preetismita Bhoi clinched the gold with a total effort of 133 Kg (57 Kg in snatch and 76 Kg in clean and jerk), surpassing the previous record of 75 Kg. Jyoshna Sabar earned the silver medal with a performance of 125 Kg (56 Kg in snatch and 69 Kg in clean and jerk).

Both athletes have honed their skills at the Odisha Weightlifting High Performance Centre (HPC) at Kalinga Stadium. Preetismita trains at the sub-centre in Dhenkanal, while Jyoshna trains at the Weightlifting HPC in Bhubaneswar. The HPC is supplemented by a network of over 40 grassroots weightlifting centers across the state, currently training over 500 athletes. This network plays a crucial role in nurturing and developing talented weightlifters in Odisha.

Speaking on the athletes’ success, former Olympian and head coach of the weightlifting HPC, K Ravi Kumar, expressed immense pride. “Today is a historic day for Odisha. We are very proud of both our athletes. Preetismita has been training very hard over the last few months, and Jyoshna is coming back from foot surgery. We did think we might get a medal, but we did not expect our athletes to do so well. The success is proof of the rapid growth of weightlifting in Odisha,” he said.