Meet India’s first female Olympic medallist
She began her journey to achieving her weightlifting dream at the age of 12.
Karnam Malleswari relocated to Delhi over the years to reside with her married sister and seek better opportunities.
During this period, she was recognised by the Sports Authority of India. By 15, Malleswari was weightlifting in the national camp.
After four years of constant practice and hard work, she emerged as world champion in the 54-kg class, earning a bronze medal at the 1993 Melbourne World Championships.
From this point, she rose through the ranks to win gold at the 1994 Istanbul World Championships and silver at the Hiroshima Asian Games.
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The climax of Malleswari’s career was at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where she made history as India’s first female Olympic medal winner.
She won a bronze medal after lifting 110 kg in the snatch and 130 kg in the clean and jerk categories for a total of 240kg in the women’s 69kg category.
