By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, CITYLINE, Sept 16, 2026
CITY’S powerlifter Rashmi Ganesh Iyer once again proved her mettle as she claimed her third successive gold medal for India at the Amateur World Powerlifting Congress (AWPC) Championship, held in Manchester, England.
Participating in the 67.5 kg Open Category, Rashmi delivered an outstanding performance, lifting an impressive total of 282.5 kgs to secure her third consecutive World Championship yellow metal.
Rashmi’s gold digging effort started in 2024 when she won her maiden championship at kyrgyzstan. She doubled her tally with another gold at the 2025 championship in South Africa.
The National Anthem was played for third successive time with Rashmi taking top perch on the podium a few days ago at Manchester.
This historic hat-trick of World Championship golds is a testament to Rashmi’s hard work, discipline, dedication, consistency and unwavering determination to represent India at the highest level.
Speaking to ‘The Hitavada’ from Abu Dhabi, from where she will board a midnight flight for Bengaluru followed by another afternoon flight for Nagpur on Thursday, Rashmi said she is delighted and will cherish all the three (gold winning) moments for life. “Winning three World Championship gold medals is an incredibly emotional and satisfying feeling. My chest swelled with pride with the gold medal dangling around my neck. Each gold has its own story and its own struggle. So, I cherish all three equally.”
Rashmi, mother of a 14-year-old son Swayam, said the Manchester Championship was the toughest of all three.
“If I have to pick one, I would say Manchester 2026 was the toughest. The competition level has gone up globally, especially when you compete with world’s toughest team like Australia, Ireland, Great Britain. The expectations were higher as a two-time defending champion. The pressure to make India proud for the third time was immense. So defending the title and winning it again makes this one the most special and satisfying of all three,” stated the powerlifter.
In the competition, which was hosted by the British Powerlifting Union, around 450 athletes from over 20 countries participated in various age and weight categories. India was represented by 10 athletes out of which six won gold medals and one silver. It was a tough ask for Rashmi as she was contesting in a higher weight category. “The competition was extremely tough. This year, I moved to higher weight category and competed in 67.5 kg section. To win gold, I had to lift 12.5 kgs extra from last year which I managed,” said Rashmi, who trains under Bengaluru based coach Mohd Azmat and travels to the South ern city every month for specialised coaching from him. Rashmi underwent intense training for this world championship. “My preparation had been very intense and disciplined over last several months. I followed a strict programme focusing on strength building, technique correction, and recovery. It was two hours of training daily, with a very strict diet and no compromises. Mentally, I was visualising this moment every single day - standing on the podium with the Indian flag,” she narrated her daily schedule. The build-up for the event was not easy and was challenging too.
“The journey to Manchester was not easy. Balancing training, managing injuries, maintaining weight category, doing daily family chores, arranging finance for travel and logistical challenges of preparing for an international championship were all the major hurdles. “There were days when my body wanted to give up, but my dream to make India proud kept me going. I am thankful to my coach and my family who stood by me through every challenge,” Rashmi signed off.
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