Seventeen-year-old Indian weightlifter Koyel Bar announced her arrival on the global stage in spectacular fashion on Tuesday, smashing two youth world records on her way to winning double gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. The teenager from Howrah, West Bengal, delivered a stunning performance to clinch both the youth and junior titles in the women's 53kg category.
Competing in both age categories, Bar achieved a remarkable total lift of 192kg. Her record-breaking journey began in the snatch, where she equalled the youth world record with an 85kg effort. She then shattered the clean and jerk youth world record by lifting a massive 107kg. This combined effort also erased the existing total lift youth world record of 188kg, etching her name in the history books.
The world records were firmly in her sights even before the competition began. "I was targetting the world record," a smiling Koyel said after her victory. "I normally lift 107-108kg in clean and jerk during training and the record was within my reach." Her impressive total of 192kg was notably higher than that of the silver medallist in the senior women's category, underscoring the scale of her achievement.
Koyel's journey in weightlifting began in 2018, inspired by her father, who runs a chicken shop in Howrah and used to go to the gym. Her raw talent has been honed over the last two years under the guidance of chief national coach Vijay Sharma. During this period, her total lift has skyrocketed from 147kg to the new world record mark of 192kg, a testament to her hard work and expert coaching.
Coach Vijay Sharma revealed that he had scouted Koyel with a long-term Olympic vision in mind, impressed by her natural physical strength. "I initially focused on technique leaving aside other aspects," Sharma explained, noting that the goal was to groom her for the highest level of the sport. With this sensational performance, Koyel Bar has proven that she is a formidable talent with a very bright future ahead of her.