Biography
Karnam Malleswari: India’s Trailblazing Olympic Weightlifter. Karnam Malleswari holds the distinguished honor of being the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics. Her historic achievement came at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. Lifting 110kg in the ‘snatch’ and 130kg in the ‘clean and jerk’ categories, she totaled 240kg, earning a prestigious bronze medal.
This remarkable feat made Karnam Malleswari a household name in India, earning her the title of ‘The Iron Lady.’ To this day, she remains the only Indian woman weightlifter to have won an Olympic medal. Reflecting on her achievement, Malleswari says, “This medal didn’t feel like my own, but the whole country’s.” Her victory garnered a congratulatory call from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who referred to her as ‘Bharat ki beti’ (daughter of India).
Born in Voosavanipeta, Andhra Pradesh, Malleswari began her weightlifting training at the age of 12. Her rise to prominence was swift, securing third place at the World Championships in 1993, followed by consecutive 54kg world titles in 1994 and 1995, and another third-place finish in 1996. Despite narrowly missing gold at the Asian Games in 1994 and 1998, her success built momentum leading up to the Sydney Olympics.
Malleswari had a bittersweet Olympic experience in Sydney in 2000. Despite winning a bronze, she felt that the Indian camp’s miscalculation cost her the gold, therefore she tried lifting more than was required to get the top podium position.
She planned a comeback for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, but the unfortunate passing of her father delayed those plans. A subsequent attempt to return at the 2004 Olympics in Greece did not yield the desired results, leading her to retire from the sport.
Throughout her career, Karnam Malleswari received numerous prestigious awards from the Indian government, including the Arjuna Award (1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1999), and the Padma Shri (1999). She wed fellow weightlifter Rajesh Tyagi in 1997, and the couple had a son in 2001. Today, Malleswari resides in Haryana, working in a managerial role for the Food Corporation of India.
In addition to her professional work, Malleswari founded the Karnam Malleswari Foundation, a pioneering weightlifting and powerlifting academy aimed at nurturing the next generation of athletes in India. As we look forward to the Paris Olympics 2024 and other upcoming events like the Winter Olympics 2024, Karnam Malleswari’s legacy continues to inspire aspiring Olympians across the nation.
