CM Fadnavis Hails IRS Officer Ekta Vishnoi's Triple Gold at World Powerlifting Championships
Synopsis
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulated IRS officer Ekta Vishnoi on winning three gold medals at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Nevada, USA, where she lifted 362.5 kg to become the first Indian woman to win gold in the Masters-2 powerlifting category.
Key Takeaways
Ekta Vishnoi , an Indian Revenue Service officer, won three gold medals at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Nevada, USA .
She lifted a combined total of 362.5 kg , defeating competitors from Japan and Canada .
Vishnoi is the first Indian female powerlifter to win gold in the Masters-2 category at a World Masters championship.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis highlighted her ability to balance civil service duties with elite athletic training.
The achievement adds to a growing pattern of Indian civil servants earning international recognition in non-professional sporting arenas.
An Indian Revenue Service officer stepped onto the podium three times in Nevada, USA — and came home with three gold medals. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to X on Monday, October 19, 2026, to congratulate Ekta Vishnoi on her historic sweep at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships, hailing it as 'India's Golden Glory on the Global Stage.'
Three golds, 362.5 kg, and a first for Indian women's powerlifting
According to CM Fadnavis's post, Vishnoi lifted a combined total of 362.5 kg across her events, outlifting competitors from Japan and Canada to claim the top spot in the Masters-2 category. The feat makes her the first Indian female powerlifter to win gold in that classification at a World Masters championship — a milestone that carves her name into Indian sporting history regardless of the discipline's relatively low mainstream profile.
A tax officer who trains like an athlete
Vishnoi belongs to the Indian Revenue Service, the central civil service that powers India's tax administration and revenue machinery under the Government of India. Balancing rigorous case files with equally rigorous training cycles is no small feat — and it is precisely that duality CM Fadnavis chose to spotlight. 'Balancing her official duties with rigorous training,' he wrote, 'this remarkable achievement is a testament to her dedication and determination.' The framing is deliberate: this is not just a sports story, it is a civil-service story.
Why Indian leaders amplify these moments
India's sporting ecosystem has long celebrated the crossover achiever — the soldier who wins a boxing belt, the schoolteacher who medals at a veterans' track meet. Senior civil servants competing at the world level fit squarely into that tradition. National leaders routinely highlight such accomplishments to signal that India's competitive presence extends far beyond cricket and Olympic mainstream events, reaching into masters-category, strength-sport arenas that most casual sports followers never follow. For a government that has consistently pushed fitness initiatives across its workforce, Vishnoi's triple gold is exactly the kind of story that writes itself into motivational circulars.
The World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships, held in Nevada, draws veteran competitors across age brackets in both raw and equipped (gear-assisted) formats — making it one of the more technically demanding masters platforms in strength sports globally. Winning three golds in that field, against international competition, is a result that demands no asterisks.
As Indian federations and government sports bodies now take note, the question is whether Vishnoi's achievement catalyses formal recognition — and whether it inspires the next IRS officer already eyeing a barbell between budget sessions.
Point of View
Which has historically struggled for visibility and funding compared to Olympic disciplines. If formal recognition from sports federations or the government follows, it could signal a modest but meaningful shift in how non-Olympic strength sports are treated in India's sporting policy architecture.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ekta Vishnoi?
Ekta Vishnoi is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer who competes in powerlifting at the international level, recently winning three gold medals at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Nevada, USA.
What did Ekta Vishnoi achieve at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships?
She won three gold medals, lifted a total of 362.5 kg, and became the first Indian female powerlifter to win gold in the Masters-2 category, defeating competitors from Japan and Canada.
Where were the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships held?
The championships were held in Nevada, USA.
Why did CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulate Ekta Vishnoi?
Fadnavis praised her for achieving a historic triple gold at an international powerlifting championship while simultaneously fulfilling her duties as an IRS officer, calling it a proud moment for India.
What is the Masters-2 category in powerlifting?
The Masters-2 category is an age-group classification in competitive powerlifting that caters to experienced athletes above a certain age bracket, competing at both national and international levels under masters-specific championships.
