PM Modi Meets Olympian Karnam Malleswari; Praises Her Role In Shaping Future Athletes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Olympic medalist Karnam Malleswari on Monday during his visit to Yamunanagar, Haryana. He applauded her ongoing contribution to nurturing young sports talent.

The meeting took place as PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several development projects in the region.

Prime Minister Modi later shared a photo from the meeting on a social media platform, recognizing Malleswari’s legacy and her dedication to mentoring the next generation.

Taking to X, PM Modi posted, “Met Olympic medalist and noted athlete, Karnam Malleswari in Yamunanagar yesterday. India is proud of her success as a sportswoman. Equally commendable is her effort to mentor young athletes.”

Malleswari, a two-time world champion and two-time Asian Games silver medalist, remains one of India’s most celebrated weightlifters.

She retired in 2004, and three years later, along with her husband and fellow weightlifter Rajesh Tyagi, she launched her first academy in Yamunanagar to train aspiring lifters.

Karnam Malleswari made history at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 by winning a bronze medal – becoming the first Indian woman to stand on an Olympic podium.

Her lift of 110kg in the snatch and 130kg in the clean and jerk earned her a combined 240kg total.

Her international journey began with a bronze at the 1993 World Championships.

She dominated the next two years with back-to-back golds in the 54kg category and returned to the podium with another bronze in 1996.

In both 1994 and 1998, she secured silver medals at the Asian Games, narrowly missing the top spot.

In recognition of her achievements, Malleswari received several honors from the Indian government, including:

• The Arjuna Award (1994),
• The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1999), and
• The Padma Shri (1999)

Beyond competition, she also launched the Karnam Malleswari Foundation – India’s first dedicated academy for weightlifting and powerlifting – aimed at promoting the sport nationwide.

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