FROM a small village near Rajnandgaon to the Commonwealth Games podium, 23- year-old weightlifter Gyaneshwari Yadav has shown that talent knows no boundaries. Born into a modest family, she won silver in the women’s 53 kg category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, lifting a combined 199 kg, 88 kg in the snatch and 111 kg in the clean and jerk and inspired a new generation of athletes across Chhattisgarh. Rajnandgaon, though part of one of India’s newer and less developed states, has a long sporting lineage. Gyaneshwari is the latest in a line of athletes bringing national recognition to the district. The daughter of Deepak Yadav, a small-town electrical mechanic, she balances her sporting career with a post as Assistant Sub Inspector in the police department, while pursuing her larger dream of competing at the Olympics. Her journey began at Jaybhavani Vyayamshala, a traditional gym near Jaistambh Chowk founded by the late Purushottam Ajmani. Once primarily a wrestling arena, the gym expanded into weightlifting and bodybuilding and became the place where a Class 7 Gyaneshwari first picked up a barbell. Under coach Ajay Lohar’s guidance, she steadily climbed the ranks, breaking records and establishing herself as one of India’s most promising young lifters. Family support has been central.

 

Deepak, who once nurtured his own bodybuilding ambitions in the 1990s but had to abandon them for financial reasons, refused to let circumstance curtail his daughter’s potential. Each day he cycled nearly eight kilometres from Bhodia village to the gym, ferrying Gyaneshwari to training and back, effectively chasing his unfinished dream through her. His dedication paid off: in 2022, at age 20, Gyaneshwari won silver in the women’s 49 kg at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Heraklion, Greece, becoming the first woman from Chhattisgarh to win a medal at the event. Since moving up to the 53 kg category, she has continued to collect international medals: gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Samoa, silver in the snatch and bronze overall at the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gujarat, and now Commonwealth silver in Glasgow her third international medal in the new class. Back home, the medal prompted an outpouring of pride. Deepak watched the event live and, overwhelmed with emotion, celebrated with neighbours before the formal medal ceremony. Rajnandgaon Mayor Madhusudan Yadav visited the family, and Chhattisgarh leaders, including Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, conveyed their congratulations. Gyaneshwari’s silver is more than a sporting milestone for Rajnandgaon; it is proof that determination, sustained family sacrifice, and grassroots coaching can propel a young athlete from borrowed shoes to the cusp of global glory. With her eyes fixed on the Olympics, neither she nor her supporters seem willing to stop now.