CHAPTER ONE · AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT
BORN TO
CLIMB.
Since 2018 · age 14. From a 10,000 ft trek in Manali at age 6, to becoming the youngest girl in the world to complete the Chadar Trek — record by record, summit by summit.
20K
FEET
CLIMBED
CLIMBED
17×
GOLD
TITLES
TITLES
3
WORLD
RECORDS
RECORDS
Samya Panchal is not your typical teenager. At an age when most kids are discovering hobbies, Samya has already stood at 20,000 feet, trekked a frozen river at −35°C, and lifted her way to seventeen powerlifting gold titles — at just 14.
Her journey began in 2018 at age six, when she trekked to 10,000 feet in Manali. That moment lit a fire that has never gone out. Since then, she has chased summits, set records, and inspired thousands of young girls across Gujarat and beyond to dream without limits.
Samya is not just a mountaineer — she is a professional athlete from Gujarat, proof that age is never a barrier to extraordinary achievement.
04
EXPEDITIONS
17
GOLD MEDALS
03
WORLD RECORDS
"Age is just a number at the base of the mountain."
— SAMYA'S PHILOSOPHY
02
MOUNTAINEERING · 2018—2025
2018
MANALI TREKKING
Samya's very first expedition — at just 6 years old, she trekked to 10,000 feet in the Himalayas of Manali. This was the spark that set everything in motion. A fearless young girl discovers her love for the mountains.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
FIRST EXPEDITION
AGE 6
2022
EVEREST BASE CAMP
At just 9 years and 10 months old, Samya trekked to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m — becoming the youngest girl in Gujarat to complete the iconic Khumbu Valley trail. A record that announced her to the world.
YOUNGEST GIRL IN GUJARAT
NEPAL · KHUMBU VALLEY
AGE 9 YRS 10 MONTHS
2024
CHADAR TREK
The legendary frozen river trek of Zanskar — one of the world's most extreme winter treks at temperatures dropping to −35°C. At age 11, Samya completed it as the youngest and fastest girl in the world to do so. A historic achievement.
YOUNGEST & FASTEST IN THE WORLD
ZANSKAR RIVER · LADAKH
−35°C
AGE 11
2025
KANG YATSE I & II
Samya's most challenging expedition yet — Kang Yatse I & II in Ladakh, with summit targets above 6,400m. At age 13, she reached an incredible 20,000 feet, but was forced to turn back due to a health issue during the ascent. A setback, not a defeat — the summit awaits.
MARKHA VALLEY · LADAKH
REACHED 20,000 FT
AGE 13
SUMMIT ATTEMPT
03
FITNESS & SPORT · 2024—PRESENT
In 2024, Samya added a powerful new dimension to her story — competitive athletics. Starting with powerlifting, she quickly proved that her mountain-bred discipline translates perfectly to the gym floor.
2024 · FIRST 9 MONTHS
Powerlifting begins
Started her fitness journey and within the first 9 months won 3 gold medals in powerlifting competitions. A natural competitor from day one.
JAN 2025 — PRESENT
Weightlifting added
Expanded into weightlifting while maintaining powerlifting. Already a 2× bronze medalist at Under-17 Sub-Junior State Level in weightlifting.
ONGOING TOTAL
17 titles + 6 Champion of Champions
17 Powerlifting titles (Sub-Junior & Junior) and 6 Champion of Champions trophies — the highest honour in her competition circuit.
Powerlifting Gold Medals
National & State level gold titles in powerlifting. 2024–2026.
Champion of Champions
The highest powerlifting honour — won three times. The mark of a true champion.
State Level Weightlifting Bronze
Under-17 Sub-Junior State Level Weightlifting. 2025 — and climbing.
First-year Powerlifting Golds
Won 3 gold medals in the very first 9 months of her fitness journey (2024).
04
REFLECTIONS
01
THE MOUNTAIN
Every summit attempt teaches her more about herself than any classroom ever could. The mountain is her greatest teacher.
02
THE DISCIPLINE
Training daily — weightlifting, powerlifting, yoga — Samya's physical discipline is the engine behind every record she breaks.
03
THE GIRLS
Every record Samya sets is a message to every girl in India: you are not too young, too small, or too ordinary to do extraordinary things.
04
THE NEXT PEAK
Kang Yatse is unfinished business. The summit that turned her back in 2025 is already calling her back. She will return.
05
THE ROAD AHEAD
DREAM BIG.
CLIMB HIGHER.
INSPIRE ALWAYS.
CLIMB HIGHER.
INSPIRE ALWAYS.
— SAMYA PANCHAL · AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Who Is Samya Panchal?
Who is Samya Panchal?
Samya Panchal is a teenage mountaineer and powerlifter from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, known as Gujarat's Strongest Girl. She is one of India's only teenagers combining record-holding mountaineering with competitive powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting.
How old is Samya Panchal?
Samya Panchal was born on 16 April 2012 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
What is Samya Panchal known for?
She is known as Gujarat's Strongest Girl for her dual achievements in mountaineering and powerlifting. Her feats include completing the Everest Base Camp trek at age nine, the Chadar Trek at age eleven, and a Kang Yatse summit at nearly 20,000 feet, alongside seven Gujarat State Powerlifting Championship titles.
What records does Samya Panchal hold?
She holds distinctions in the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records, along with recognition in World Records of India for her mountaineering achievements. She is also a seven-time Gujarat State Powerlifting Champion.
Is Samya Panchal a mountaineer or a powerlifter?
She is both. Samya is a record-holding mountaineer and a competitive powerlifter who is also training toward Olympic weightlifting — a rare dual-discipline teen athlete in India.
What does “Gujarat's Strongest Girl” mean?
It is the title associated with Samya Panchal, reflecting her powerlifting strength and her record-setting mountaineering expeditions as a young athlete from Gujarat, India.
Where is Samya Panchal from?
Samya Panchal is from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
What are Samya Panchal's biggest achievements?
Everest Base Camp at age nine, the Chadar Trek across the frozen Zanskar River at minus 35°C at age eleven, a Kang Yatse expedition reaching nearly 20,000 feet, Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records distinctions, and seven Gujarat State Powerlifting gold titles.