PM Modi Engages with Karnam Malleswari in Yamunanagar, Praises Her Role in Shaping Future Athletes
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Synopsis
On April 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Olympic medallist Karnam Malleswari in Yamunanagar, Haryana, acknowledging her significant contributions to mentoring young athletes and her remarkable achievements in weightlifting.
Key Takeaways
- PM Modi recognized Karnam Malleswari's contributions to sports.
- Karnam is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.
- She opened a weightlifting academy in Yamunanagar.
- Karnam has received numerous prestigious awards.
- Her foundation aims to promote weightlifting in India.
New Delhi, April 15 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the opportunity to meet with the Olympic medallist weightlifter Karnam Malleswari in Yamunanagar on Monday, praising her valuable contributions to mentoring young athletes.
During his visit to Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for several development initiatives, where he also interacted with the former weightlifter and shared highlights of their meeting on the social media platform X.
“I met with Olympic medalist and distinguished athlete, Karnam Malleswari in Yamunanagar yesterday. India takes pride in her accomplishments as a sportswoman, and her dedication to mentoring young athletes is equally commendable,” PM Modi posted on X.
Karnam is not only an Olympic medallist but also a two-time world champion and a two-time Asian Games silver medalist.
Having concluded her competitive career in 2004, the 49-year-old, alongside her husband and fellow weightlifter Rajesh Tyagi, established her first academy in Yamunanagar, Haryana in 2017.
Karnam holds the remarkable distinction of being the first woman from India to secure a medal at the Olympics.
Her most notable achievement occurred during the Sydney 2000 Olympics. By lifting 110kg in the ‘snatch’ and 130kg in the ‘clean and jerk’ categories for a total of 240kg, Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an esteemed Olympic bronze medal.
Karnam earned third place in the World Championships in 1993 and followed that with consecutive 54kg world titles in 1994 and 1995, concluding her series with another third-place finish in 1996.
She narrowly missed out on Asian Games gold medals on two occasions, in 1994 and 1998, settling for silver each time.
The Indian government honored her with several prestigious awards, including the Arjuna Award (1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1999), and the Padma Shri (1999).
Beyond her sports accolades, this Olympic medallist also established the Karnam Malleswari Foundation, a pioneering weightlifting and powerlifting academy aimed at promoting her beloved sport in India.
