The Grand Old Lady of Indian Weightlifting

[AnJaLi]

Kunjarani Devi, at 46, is the grand old lady of Indian weightlifting.

She was the first woman weightlifter to win the Arjuna award, way back in 1990, and shared the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award with Leander Paes in 1996-1997.

The bespectacled Manipuri, the most decorated lifter of the country, competed well past her prime.
For the diminutive lady, the climb to the top was arduous. When she first took up the sport she faced a lot of resistance, not only from her family but others as well in her native Manipur.

But, having decided on making weightlifting a career, she worked tirelessly and tasted success early.
She started winning almost everything at the national level, which encouraged her to strive for honours internationally.

She put Indian weightlifting on the world map by winning a gold medal in the 48 kg category at the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, with a record overall lift of 166 kg, which included 72 kg in snatch and 94 kg in the clean and jerk.

In recognition of her accomplishments, the International Weightlifting Federation named her as one of the finest lifters of the 20th century.