Karnam Malleswari got a big honor

Malleswari won the bronze medal in weightlifting at Sydney Olympics 2000.

Known as ‘The Iron Lady’, India’s first woman Olympic medalist Karnam Malleswari has received a great honor. He has been appointed as the first Vice Chancellor of Delhi Sports University by the Government of Delhi. Malleshwari, who hails from Yamunanagar, Haryana, won the bronze medal in weightlifting in Sydney Olympics 2000.

Malleswari is the first Indian woman to win a medal in weightlifting at the Olympics and her record remains intact till date. Malleswari was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1994 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1999. She was awarded the Padma Shri award in 1999. Malleswari is now working as Chief General Manager in FCI. Malleshwari lives with family in Sector-18 of Jagadhri.

He lifted 110 kg in the snatch category and 130 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 240 kg at the Sydney Olympics in September 2000 at the age of 25. Thus she became the first Indian woman to win a medal (bronze) in the Olympics. Because of her historical achievements, she was named ‘The Iron Lady’.

Karnam was born in Vosavanipeta hamlet, a small village in Andhra Pradesh. She entered the playground from the age of 12. At that time his father Karnam Manohar was a football player. His four sisters were also weight lifters. Because Karnam Malleswari was very weak, she was asked to stay away from weight lifting. Then his mother came forward, who encouraged him.

It was the mother who convinced Karnam that she could. After this, a big change came in the life of Karnam in 1990, when a national camp was organized before the Asian Games. In this, Karnam went with her sister as a spectator. But, during this time world champion Leonid Taranenko caught sight of him. He immediately recognized Karnam’s talent.

He was sent Karnam Malleswari to the Sports Institute in Bangalore. From here Karnam started showing his talent and broke 9 national records in 52kg category in his first Junior National Weightlifting Championship in the same year. A year later, he also won his first senior national championship title and went on to win an Olympic medal.