Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji has opened up about the sexism and online abuse she faced after her remarkable silver-medal performance at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Speaking to ANI, the 21-year-old said that while she was proud of lifting 140 kg in the deadlift in the Junior Women’s 47 kg category, the conversation online soon shifted from her sporting achievement to her appearance and identity.
From a 45.70 kg athlete to a 140 kg deadlift
Keyaa Banerji’s performance at the World Championships was a major milestone in her young powerlifting career. Competing in the Junior Women’s 47 kg category, she finished fifth overall but secured a silver medal for her 140 kg deadlift. The lift was extraordinary considering her competition bodyweight of just 45.70 kg. The 140 kg deadlift was more than three times her bodyweight and became one of the standout moments of the championship after a video of the lift went viral on social media. For Banerji, however, the moment was the result of two years of hard work rather than an overnight success.“I think initially it is a great feeling. Once it came out on social media, I did get a little bit overwhelmed. There was some negative attention, but I would like to avoid talking about that too much,” Keyaa said while speaking to ANI. “I am very proud of myself and very happy with my accomplishment. I have been working towards this for two years. This silver medal was something I wasn’t expecting initially,” she added.She had entered the championship hoping to gain experience at the global level. Instead, she returned with a medal and a performance that drew attention from across social media. “It started with me thinking that this World Championship is something I’m going to attend just for experience. The fact that I ended up putting such a good number up and winning a medal was just absolutely incredible,” she said.
“Most of the conversation revolved around my appearance”
While the viral video brought Banerji widespread attention, she said much of the online reaction was not about her strength, preparation, or silver medal. Instead, she faced trolling, impersonation, sexual harassment, and comments about her appearance, ethnicity, ancestry, and caste. She also said thousands of AI-generated and manipulated images using her face and body were circulated without her consent. Her previous private Instagram account was also suspended, after which she created a new account.Speaking about the experience, Banerji described it as sexism and said she believed a male athlete would not have faced the same kind of treatment after winning a major championship. “I think it was just sexism at its finest. I don’t think I can put it in any other way. The way I was treated- men would never have to face this, like after winning a championship or something like that; a male athlete never has to face something like this,” Keyaa said.“Most of the conversation revolved around my appearance. All people would talk about was my appearance, and I think that really bothered me because I had accomplished something so big for myself and I had done something so big in my sport,” she added. For Banerji, the reaction was particularly painful because it overshadowed an achievement she had spent years working towards.
Her 140 kg lift was not even her best
The 140 kg deadlift may have won Banerji a silver medal, but it was not the heaviest weight she had ever lifted. She explained that competition-day performances can be very different from training sessions, and 140 kg was actually on the lower end of the range she and her coach had planned. “Competition day numbers and training numbers aren’t always the same. Performing as an athlete on competition day is very different from what you do in training. In powerlifting, we usually try to hit maxes in competition,” she said.“Although my result worked out in a way that I won a silver medal as an athlete, the planning that my coach and I had done, 140 kg, was on the lower end of the range for what we were planning to hit that day,” Keyaa added. During training, she had lifted around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. The 147.5 kg mark was also the Asian record she had hoped to challenge on the world stage. “In training, I have hit around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. 147.5 kg is also the Asian record. So, my ideal day would have been breaking the Asian record on stage. I was a little disheartened that I wasn’t able to do that,” she said.Her 140 kg attempt was her second deadlift. She then tried 142.5 kg but failed to complete the lift. “140 kg wasn’t my third deadlift; it was my second deadlift. It moved a little bit slower than expected compared to how it moves in training. So, I took a smaller jump of 142.5 after that, and I failed that lift. It wasn’t an ideal day, but things worked out,” she added.
A silver medal today, a world title tomorrow
Despite not achieving the Asian-record lift she had hoped for, Banerji remains proud of her performance and sees the championship as an important step in a much bigger journey. “This silver medal was something I wasn’t expecting initially. I was just happy to be present at the World Championship because powerlifting is a long-term sport. I do have plans of eventually winning a World Championship and getting a gold back for the country,” she said.She also spoke about the surreal experience of standing alongside athletes she had admired before competing at the same level. “I can’t explain it, and I am overwhelmed. I was very happy to just be there. To be at that World Championship, meet my competitors, see the girls that I used to look up to around me, and compete in the same competition it was an unreal feeling,” she concluded.Banerji’s journey at the 2026 World Championships is therefore about more than a 140 kg deadlift or a silver medal. It is about an athlete proving what she can achieve on the biggest stage while refusing to let the attention surrounding her appearance define the work behind her success. Her goal remains clear: keep getting stronger, challenge records, and eventually bring home a World Championship gold for India.
