NEPAL: Indian powerlifter Dhruv Chakraborty bagged a bronze medal for his country in the 2023 International Strength Lifting Competition held in Nepal on March 10. Over 100 Indian athletes took part in the competition. The competition had participants from nine countries, including India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The Strength Lifting competition consists of the incline bench press, two-arm curling and hack lift. Chakraborty participated in the Incline Bench Press tournament. Chakraborty’s two best lifts of 112.5 and 110 kg helped him reach a total of 222.5 kg and win the bronze medal.
Small-town boy with big dreams
Representing and winning a medal for the country is a dream every athlete fosters, and Chakraborty is no different. Hailing from a small town called Tumsar, which can hardly be seen on the map of India, Chakraborty was determined to push the boundaries the same way he pushed the humongous 112.5 kg in an incline chest press lift.
To give an idea of how heavy these lifts are, most people deadlift this amount of weight, that is, pick a weight from the floor and stand up. Contrarily, Chakraborty can easily press a standard deadlifter’s weight on an inclined bench, proving that he is indeed a powerful man.
Early setback
Chakraborty started lifting when he was only 13; his father brought him a bench press at home, and he, along with his brother and father, used to train in it. However, at that time, Chakraborty did not professionally start strength lifting at this age. Before this, he tried his luck in cricket.
We discovered after asking his friends, teammates, and coaches that Chakraborty was a talented cricketer as well, but he was forced to abandon the dream because he was frequently made fun of his unconventional round-arm bowling motion.
Additionally, despite his cricketing talent, he was always fat-shamed and was constantly poked for his physique. These events forced him to change his path and work on his body. Chakraborty underwent a drastic weight loss and went from 75 kg to 57 kg. He followed a very strict diet and did not even touch a pinch of sweet or junk food throughout his journey of weight loss.
Chakraborty then realized his strength in the gym and decided to compete in powerlifting and strength lifting. He played in many local leagues and tournaments and almost won all of them. Soon, people started to notice him and admire his talent.
Chakraborty, with passion and dedication, continued practising and competing to finally earn the title of the ‘Strongest Boy’ in India in 2022.
Soon, he was selected for the national competition, where he gave trials for the international strength lifting competition and got selected.
Chakraborty’s journey is an inspiration for aspiring lifters and youngsters around the world. If the power/strength lifting makes it to the Olympics, we foresee Chakraborty as a potential medal tally increaser for India. Apart from lifting, Chakraborty currently works as an editor at Transcontinental Times.
Also Read: Indian Powerlifter Dhruv Chakraborty Wins Gold Medal at the National Powerlifting Championship
