For nearly nine months, I couldn't compete. Every time a powerlifting championship came around, a recurring injury would pull me off the platform, and I would watch the meet I had trained for slip away while I healed on the sidelines. So when I finally walked into the WRPF Gujarat State Iron Powerlifting Championship in Surat on 28 June 2026, this wasn't just another competition — it was my way back.
By the end of that single day I had six gold medals from six events, three new personal records, and a Champion of Champions title. Here is how the day unfolded, lift by lift.
Competing up a category
I compete as a Sub-Junior — the under-18 group. But this time there weren't enough girls in my bracket, so I had to move up to the Junior category, meant for athletes aged 19 to 23. At 14, I was by far the youngest lifter in the hall, competing in the Under-67 kg class against athletes years older than me. It was intimidating — but I have learned that the barbell doesn't care how old you are.
1. Squat — the rocky start
My day did not begin well. I had rushed back from a news interview and was still flustered when I stepped up for my opening squat at 75 kg — and completely missed the judge's call. No lift. Second attempt, same weight: this time I lost balance on the way up and one leg shifted before I had fully locked out. The rules are strict — you can't move until you are completely standing. No lift again.
Two misses, one attempt left. I took a breath, shut everything out, and nailed it clean. 75 kg — good lift, and my first gold. Focus, I relearned the hard way, is everything.
2. Bench press — a brave call
Bench is where I started to feel like myself. First attempt, 40 kg, easy. Then something happened that surprised even my parents. We had planned 40, 45, 47.5 — but after that first lift, I decided on my own to jump straight to 47.5 kg, my gym PR. I hadn't worn my support belt and took a bit of a jerk in my back, but I got it.
For my third attempt I made another bold call: 50 kg. Belt on this time, everything locked in — a clean lift and a new personal record. The crowd actually clapped. Gold.
3. Deadlift — the easy heavy
Deadlift is my favourite, and it showed. 90 kg first, smooth. Then I called 100 kg myself — we had planned 95 — and it came up like it weighed nothing. Third attempt, 105 kg, another new PR, and so smooth that afterwards the judges said if I had loaded 110 or even 115, I probably would have made it. I filed that away for next time. Gold.
4. Strict curl — the first-timer
Here is one I had genuinely never attempted before this meet: the strict curl. First attempt, 15 kg, easy. Second, 20.5 kg — a real struggle, but a good lift and yet another new PR. I went for 25 kg on my third and it beat me; that one just wasn't there yet. But two out of three on a lift I had never done before, good enough for gold — I will take it.
5 & 6. The combined events
When you add my best lifts together, two more golds came out of the day:
- Full Powerlifting. Best squat, bench, and deadlift combined: 75 + 50 + 105 = 230 kg total. Gold.
- Push Pull. Bench and deadlift combined: 50 + 105 = 155 kg. Gold.
That made six events, six golds.
Champion of Champions
And then the one that meant the most. My 50 kg bench press earned the Champion of Champions title. COC isn't decided by raw weight alone — it is calculated across every category using the Wilks formula, which adjusts your lift against your body weight, rewarding pound-for-pound strength. Taking that home as the youngest athlete in the hall is something I am deeply proud of.
What this meet meant
When it was over, I ran straight to papa and hugged him. Three new personal records in a single day — bench, deadlift, and my full powerlifting total — and honestly, the squat PR would have come too if I hadn't lost those first two attempts to a lapse in focus. After nearly a year mostly stolen by injuries, this was the day I proved — to myself more than anyone — that I am still that girl.
I will be honest about the bigger picture: my real goal is Olympic-style weightlifting, the snatch and the clean & jerk, on the biggest stage there is. Powerlifting and weightlifting are different sports. But I am still young, and I love medals and trophies — so these state competitions give me small wins to chase while I build toward the big one. None of it happens alone. Mom and dad are beside me at every training session and every meet. That support is the real foundation under every single lift.