“Gold toh jeeta… par kahaani is medal ke peeche ki hai!”
Seventeen-year-old Koyel Bar, daughter of a humble butcher from Howrah, has done what champions do — make history. Not one, but two world youth records shattered at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship.
And yes, remember the name — Koyel Bar, a name that now sits proudly in the global record books.
🥇 192 kg of Fire and Grit
In the 53 kg youth category, Koyel lifted a total of 192 kg (85 kg snatch + 107 kg clean and jerk) — not just a win, but a world record. She first equalled the youth world record in snatch with 85 kg, then smashed the total lift record of 188 kg by a cool 4 kg.
And this, mind you, came from a girl who once faced taunts for even daring to dream.
👨👧👦 Her Father, a Butcher. Her Coach, a Believer.
Her father Mithun Bar, a meat seller from Howrah’s Deulpur, was stunned when the news broke.
“People who once mocked her are now standing in queues to congratulate us,” he said, tears choking his words.
Mithun, once a yoga student at Deulpur High School, gave up his own dreams because of poverty. But he had a dream — and he passed that dream to his daughter. He took her to Ashtam Das, the same coach who shaped Achinta Sheuli, another star lifter from Bengal.
And from the age of ten, Koyel began the grind.
“Baba ka chehra yaad tha, bas uthane ka tha”
After the medal ceremony, Koyel didn’t speak much — but what she said hit like a barbell to the heart.
“While lifting, I only remembered my father’s face. He never let us feel poor. This is his medal.”
She added, “I’ve been through a lot… but I always believed I could do it.”
Coach Ashtam Das, who knows every rep and set of Koyel’s journey, said,
“She trained through fever, pain, and taunts. But she never gave up. She’s very introverted, but when it’s time to lift — she’s a lioness.”
From a ganesh chaturthi celebration at home to lifting India’s tricolour high in a global arena, this is no ordinary story. This is not just about records. It’s about resilience, identity, and raw willpower.
And yes — India has a new weightlifting queen.
