Battling poverty, Bhavani powers to Asian Weightlifting Gold

Winning medals in Commonwealth Games & Olympics is my dream, says Bhavani

- SREENU BABU PATIVADA @Vizianagaram

Braving poverty and adverse social conditions, the mason's daughter had built a career in sports lifting three gold medals and making her way to the preparatory mat at Patiala for the ensuing 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held at Glasgow, Scotland. Seventeen-year-old Reddy Bhavani won triple gold in weightlifting in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships held at Astana in Kazakhstan.

The lift and gold were not that easy for the teenager, daughter of a mason, who had to overcome poverty and challenging situations in academics. Bhavani hails from a tiny village Konda Karakam and is the second of three sisters, and her father Reddy Adinarayana works as a mason for livelihood.

Despite the lack of proper training facilities and nutritious food, she excelled in various tournaments, and her story resonates the importance of passion, perseverance, and the potential for individuals to overcome adversity and achieve fame as Bhavani is now undergoing training at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS), Patiala for the ensuing Commonwealth Games.