At the recently concluded  Commonwealth Powerlifting and Bench Press Championship held in New Zealand, two young powerlifters made India proud as they won four gold medals each.

B Anil Kumar, a first-year MBA student, and Durga Prasad, a final-year BA student, won gold in the bench press, squat, deadlift, and overall championship in the 93 kg and 83 kg categories, respectively. They were euphoric about having represented India at an international event and emerging victorious.

Anil, who comes from a farming family, never thought he would want to compete in powerlifting until his college lecturer encouraged him. Anil summarized his path by saying that the past four years had been incredibly challenging in terms of training and injury recovery. He didn't realize how impressive winning the medals in New Zealand was until he got home and was greeted with overwhelming support and encouragement, Anil added.

Durga Prasad, on the other hand, always yearned to power lift after watching his uncle do it. At the age of 16, he began his training. He expressed his joy by revealing that compared to the joy of representing India among several foreign nations, the weight of the bars seemed insignificant. Though he had always wanted to be successful in the sport, he never imagined it to be that popular. “We fail frequently on this road, but it shouldn't deter us or have a detrimental effect on our willpower”, Prasad added.

Anil and Prasad both intend to compete in the upcoming World Junior Powerlifting Championships. Dr. Lankapalli Bullayya College is assisting the two powerlifters by offering them free education up till they complete their post-graduation in celebration of their accomplishments.