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Time of India
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
From backyard akhara to Asian glory: Priyanshi's way to glory
1 2 3 Lucknow: Priyanshi Prajapat, a wrestling gold medallist in the U-23 Asian Championship in Vietnam, has an inspiring journey that bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Phogat sisters from Haryana. She has so far won three international medals, including a bronze at the World Championship in Bulgaria and a silver at the Asian Championship in Jordan. A trainee at NCOE Lucknow in the 50kg freestyle category, Priyanshi works in Uttar Pradesh Police. Her sister, also a wrestler, serves in the UP Police as well. Their father, a daily wage labourer in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, is a passionate wrestler who built a makeshift akhara in the backyard of their home and encouraged his daughters to take up the sport from an early age. Sharing her wrestling journey with TOI, Priyanshi said, "I come from a family of three sisters and a brother, and we faced severe financial struggles as our father worked as a labourer. Nevertheless, he continuously supported both my sister and me. He initially coached my elder sister, and later, I continued my training at TT Nagar Stadium in Bhopal." "I see about 80% resemblance to the storyline of the Bollywood movie Dangal," Priyanshi said, drawing parallels between her father's strict nature and the societal opposition they faced as girls in wrestling. "At one point, I even expressed my unwillingness to wrestle, but my father persisted, and eventually, I adapted to the sport. My eldest sister now works as a nurse, while another sister and I began wrestling together in 2016. Our younger brother has also taken up wrestling," she said. Speaking about her future goals, she said, "I'm preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. My aim is to secure a spot on the Olympic team and win a medal. I'm also targeting the 2026 Asian Games." She credited SAI for providing outstanding facilities, including quality diet, world-class coaches, physiotherapists, and security. "In 2023, I secured a post with the UP Police and have been training at SAI for the last six months," she added. Chief wrestling coach at NCOE Lucknow, Sahil Sharma, said, "I had set a goal of winning a medal, and with Priyanshi's dedication, we managed to achieve it. When she arrived, she already had two international medals—a bronze and a silver—so we resolved to change the medal's colour, and we did. With the World Championship just a month away, we are aiming for another medal, followed by a focus on the 2026 Asian Games and the Olympics. " SAI regional director Atma Prakash, said, "I congratulate both Priyanshi Prajapati and her coach Sahil. They've done a great job. It's a proud moment for SAI, Lucknow. We are always ready to provide every facility needed in every discipline."
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
17-yr-old Assam lifter Aisengfa breaks youth natl record
Assam's clinched the 55kg gold with an overall lift of 183kg at the ongoing Bihar in Rajgir on Sunday, and with it broke the in the category. The 17-year-old, who trains at 's National Centre of Excellence in Lucknow since 2023 under coach Rahul Sharma, shattered the youth national record with an overall lift of 182kg created by Koyel Bar of West Bengal at the 2024 Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar, last who had missed out on a medal in the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai last year, began her campaign with a 75kg lift in snatch followed by clean lifts of 79kg and route, Aisengfa equalled the snatch record of Mina Santa of Odisha at 81kg which she had created at the World Youth Championship in Suva, Fiji, last year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In Rajgir, on Sunday, Mina settled for a silver medal with a total lift of 177kg (80+97) and Andhra Pradesh's Hema Sri Karangi took home the bronze medal with an overall lift of 164kg (72+92).A Khelo India athlete since 2023, Aisengfa had secured the bronze medal at the IWLF National Weightlifting Championships last year in Himachal Pradesh. She had also won a silver in the ASMITA Weightlifting Zonal League in Bhubaneswar last year with a total lift of 167kg (73+94)."This is my first gold in Khelo India, so I want to thank my coach, parents and especially SAI NCOE Lucknow for helping me improve my skills and technique. I have been training at the Lucknow centre since last two years," she said after the win. Earlier, Sunil Singh of Punjab clinched the boys 61kg gold by lifting a total of 238kg (108+130), 6 kg higher than his nearest rival Anik Modi of West Bengal (97+135). Tamil Nadu's Jayanovaraj J. took the bronze with a total lift of 231kg (104+127).In boys' 67kg, Yash Khandagale of Maharashtra lifted overall 267kg (122+145) to capture the gold medal with a 16kg margin over closest competitor Abhinob Gogoi of Assam (116+135). Haryana's Samir Khan, another NCOE Lucknow athlete, clinched the bronze medal with total lift of 241kg (109+132).
