Who is Kiya Banerjee? An Indian weightlifter lifted three times her body weight to win the silver medal at the IPF Championships
The 140kg lift has turned 21-year-old Indian weightlifter Kia Kunal Banerjee into a household name, and her skills are an internet sensation. She put in a stunning effort at the 2026 IPF World Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, where she won silver in the individual deadlift event in the junior women’s 47kg category.
The biggest highlight of her achievement was the difference between her body weight and the metal on the bar. Weighing just 45.70kg, she lifted more than three times her body weight, an effort that quickly became the highlight of her campaign and subsequently spread across social media.
But who is Kiya Banerjee?
Banerjee is an Indian weightlifter who competes in the junior women’s 47 kg category. Her performance in South Africa was built around a total weight of 280kg, and her best lifts consisted of a 90kg squat, 50kg bench press, and 140kg deadlift.
Although she placed fifth in the junior 47kg competition, the deadlift proved to be her breakout event. Her effort of 140 kg was enough to secure second place in the discipline.
Frenchwoman Ines Herbaud topped the deadlift standings with a weight of 165 kg, while Irishman Blathnaid O’Dwyer also managed to achieve 140 kg. Banerjee finished ahead of O’Dwyer to take the silver medal.
At the 2025 National Championships, Banerjee recorded a squat of 82.5 kg, bench press of 47.5 kg, and deadlift of 127.5 kg, taking her total weight to 257.5 kg. She then upped those numbers at the 2026 National Championships, lifting 95kg in the squat, 52.5kg in the bench press and 140kg in the deadlift, finishing with a total of 287.5kg.
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Banerjee was not the only Indian athlete to make an impact in South Africa. Madura Carr emerged as one of the country’s standout athletes at the tournament, claiming four gold medals in the women’s under-junior 52kg division.
The weightlifter, who weighed 49.35 kg, lifted 107.5 kg in the squat, 60 kg in the bench press, and 125 kg in the deadlift. Her total of 292.5 kg helped her claim gold in all four disciplines.
Carr’s recent success has added to her impressive record despite her young age. A Class XII student from Jalpaiguri, she has already made her mark at the local level by winning the National Powerlifting Championship in 2024 and successfully defending the title in 2025. She also won the National Bench Press Championship in Faridabad earlier in 2026.
