Kalinga institute

Khelo India Youth Games: A few months ago, Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter K Ravi Kumar was supposed to reach Jyoshna Sabar’s village around 11am. But it was evening then and he had still not been able to find his way through this mountainous, forested region of Odisha near the Andhra border. The road wasn’t exactly motorable either.

Fortunately, he spotted a man who turned out to be Jyoshna’s grandfather, and the old man guided them to Jyoshna’s home in Gajapati district’s Pekata, a village so remote that the nearest bus stop is a few hours by foot.

The 15-year old daughter of a small-time farmer father and homemaker mother has risen from this impoverished background to become one of India’s leading junior weightlifters. After winning bronze at the World Youth Championships in Albania last year, she shattered the national snatch record on her way to the gold medal in the 40kg category at the 6th Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai.