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Karnam Malleshwari: The First Indian Female To Win An Olympic Medal!

Written By: Sonali
November 28, 2020
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Indian sportswomen have been the pride of the country! 

Saina Nehwal created history by winning the first medal in badminton at Olympics, 2012 — MC Mary Kom won a bronze in the first edition of women’s boxing at the Olympics — Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu won bronze and silver respectively, India’s only medals in Olympics 2016.

All of this though would not have been possible without the inspiration and immense self-confidence that weightlifter Karnam Malleswari gave Indian women at the Sydney Games in 2000.

The legendary Indian weightlifter earned a bronze medal on September 19, 2000, to become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Early life

Karnam Malleswari came from a family of sportspeople. Her father Karnam Manohar was a college-level football player while her four sisters had taken to weightlifting. But ironically, it was her mother Shyamala, the only non-sporting person in the family, who encouraged Karnam Malleswari to pursue a dream.

The story goes that a 12-year-old Karnam had been turned away by coach Neelamshetty Appanna, who taught weightlifting at a local gymnasium in the small town of Voosavanipeta, Andhra Pradesh because she was deemed too thin and weak for the sport.

However, Karnam’s mother gave belief to the disheartened youngster. “She told me that if I felt bad about people doubting my ability, then I should prove them wrong by going out there and pursuing weightlifting,” said Karnam Malleswari, who started training on her own soon after.

The turning point

The turning point for Karnam Malleswari, however, came at a national camp ahead of the 1990 Asian Games, which incidentally the Indian weightlifter was not a part of.

She had tagged along as a visitor with her elder sister Krishna Kumari, who had been selected to the camp. It was here that Karnam Malleswari was spotted by Olympic and world champion Leonid Taranenko, who coached the Indian weightlifters.

Taranenko noticed Karnam keenly observing the proceedings, so he approached her and asked her to do a few drills. It was enough to convince him of her talent, and he immediately recommended Karnam to the Bangalore Sports Institute.

In her first junior national weightlifting championships in 1990, Karnam Malleswari broke nine national records in the 52kg category and a year later, she won silver in her maiden senior national championship.

It was the start of the golden period in Karnam Malleswari’s career.

Becoming the champion

Before long success came calling, Malleswari placed third in the World Championships in 1993 and then followed up with consecutive 54kg world titles in 1994 and 1995, before bookending her run with another third-place effort in 1996. She is also the first Indian woman weightlifter to win gold at the World Championships.

A women’s weightlifting event was then added for the first time at the Olympics at Sydney 2000.

Though all eyes were on Karnam, not many gave her a chance because she had not won a World Championship medal since 1996. Moreover, she had also shifted to the 69kg, a category she had never competed in at the world stage. 

However, Karnam Malleswari loved proving people wrong, and she did so once again in Sydney. A gold may have been lost, but it gave Karnam Malleswari an Olympic bronze medal in what was her first trip to the Games. History had been created, and the country celebrated a new hero.

Source

“I was not affected by what people said about me. I know what I should do and what I should not. I have to participate in the competition, go on to the stage and lift the weight,” she told Sportstar after the extraordinary feat.

The historic achievement made her an instant household name and the masses named her ‘The Iron Lady’. She remains, till date, the only Indian woman weightlifter to have won an Olympic medal.

Ending the career

Malleswari was planning to make a comeback at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. However, the unfortunate demise of her father halted those plans. She devised another return, at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, but a severe back injury meant that she was not at her best and she called it quits after that event.

As it turned out, Karnam Malleswari’s Olympic medal turned out to be her last international medal. But it had given her a lasting legacy, and her achievement became the springboard on which more Indian women brought laurels for India.

Along the way, she was conferred with numerous prestigious awards by the Indian government, including the Arjuna Award (1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1999), and the Padma Shri (1999).

Aside from that, Malleswari also founded the Karnam Malleswari Foundation, first-of-its-kind weightlifting, and powerlifting academy to see her beloved sport flourish in India.

“I feel proud to have created this pathway for our girls and to see them winning Olympic medals. Some even tell me today, ‘Ma’am you started it all’, so I feel delighted to have changed the perception.”

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Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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Monday Motivation — These Women Went Out Of Their Ways To Provide Opportunities To Thousands!

Written By: Sonali
December 28, 2020 | 04:03 PM |
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With 2020 almost coming to an end, the world has now known the value of several things — several little things we ignored previously.

From that boring job to the old ceiling of your home, that constantly boring food to the access of education, internet, sanitary napkins, healthcare supplies and what now, people would have realised that they are truly lucky if they have the basics — just the basics!

But think about those people who didn’t even have access to these basics! Think about the people who actually never had all of these basics! The pandemic may have taken the access, the luxury of having do waqt ki roti from many, but let’s not forget that a large portion of our society has yearned for these basics since like forever! For whom, even the basic education, hygiene, a toilet in their house and a simple meal is luxury.

And let’s not forget that there has also been a small fraction who never stopped working for these people — for their betterment, welfare, bright future, and rights. The only goal for these people have been the betterment of society and the betterment of these deprived people. And these people are an inspiration, a source of motivation and idol for many unknown faces.

Let me introduce you to some of these good souls and get you an instant dose of your Monday motivation!

Ashweetha Shetty

She was born to a couple, who used to be beedi rollers, in a poor orthodox family in Mukkudal — a small South Indian village — where girl children were not celebrated and considered a liability to the family!

But nothing stopped her from chasing her dreams, from creating a life for herself — and all it took was a tiny moment of courage and an autobiography of Helen Keller — to realise that no one else, but she had the power of transforming her life.

A graduate in Business Administration, Ashweetha Shetty somehow chanced upon a Tamil magazine talking about the Young India Fellowship. From creating an email id to borrowing a friend’s phone to fill the application, she did everything to fulfil her dreams. After completing her fellowship, she worked for a year and started the Bodhi Tree Foundation, which works with rural youth and helps them develop their life skills and soft skills and encourage them to dream big and aspire more. Read her entire story here.

Meera Shenoy

Meera Shenoy started Youth4Jobs with a dream of making young India self-reliable despite all the odds and conditions like physical/ hearing/ speech disability. And eventually, what started years back with one centre in a city turned into 100s of centres across 22 states and a family of 160 people.

Youth4Jobs trains the rural youth with disabilities for two months, without any fees. They help them develop their life skills, communication skills, computer skills, etc. and helps them get a job in different services sectors like retail, BPO, hospitality, logistics, etc. She also has a dedicated team that keeps checking the current job vacancies and helps the youths get a job.

It was her sheer dedication and love for others that made her initiative recognised by people across the world as well as the government. Read her entire story here.

Sangita Iyer

Sangita Iyer, a Nari Shakti Puraskar Awardee, did Bachelor’s in Biology & Ecology, Masters in Environmental Education & Communications, and a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism. Her love for elephants began when she was only three years old.

Sangita has worked as a broadcaster for 11 years before transitioning into documentaries, film-making, and starting her own non-profit organisation. 

It’s been seven years since she started her mission to save the elephants and create awareness among the general public. Her non-profit organisation, ‘Voice for Asian Elephants Society’, conducts several projects and programs to support her cause. Read her entire story here.

Shantha Ragunathan

Shantha was born amidst extreme poverty, had lost her parents at the age of six and was married in an extremely poorer family. Life was hard — but it became harder after her children were born — she was unable to make ends meet and support her two kids.

It was during her tenure at that office when she heard of self-help groups (SHGs) and Shantha believed that this could alleviate her poverty.

Shantha’s self-help groups (SHGs) AKA microfinance group started with buying cows and selling their milk, and the work kept expanding over time. All this while, she impacted hundreds of women and helped them generate their own income source. Her SHGs also serve as a model for women in other villages. She helps other women begin from scratch, and she continues to inspire others to move forward in their lives. Read her entire story here.

Malvika Mathur

Malvika Mathur lived for her children first and then followed her passion and fulfilled her dream of creating something which’s not only mind-fulfilling but also sustainable and people-friendly!

Her brand LabelEeshav is a one-stop-shop for all garment requirements; interestingly named after her kids Eesha and Aarav. It caters from 0 months onwards — stands for sustainable fashion, eliminates the middle man and connects the consumers to the weavers directly. The idea is also to recreate and remodel existing clothes to avoid more landfill. 

The venture also supports small women artisans by selling their handmade accessories directly to the audience. This way, she is not only helping artisans but also several women who cannot leave their house to work outside. Read her entire story here.

Infano encourages every woman to come forward, stand for each other and follow their dreams despite all the struggles and hardships. If you know someone whose story must be heard, please tag us in the comments below! #InfanoWomen

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Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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