Keyaa Banerji Wins Deadlift Silver at IPF World Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships
Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji won the silver medal in the deadlift at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Competing in the Junior Women's 47 kg category, the 21-year-old lifted 140 kg at a bodyweight of 45.70 kg - more than three times her own bodyweight. She finished fifth overall with a total of 280 kg, comprising a 90 kg squat, 50 kg bench press and 140 kg deadlift, a sharp improvement on her 257.5 kg total at the 2025 national championship. The result adds to India's growing medal record in strength sports.
The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) was founded in 1972 and governs the sport's three lifts - squat, bench press and deadlift | 'Classic' or raw powerlifting bars the use of supportive equipment such as squat suits and bench shirts | South Africa's capitals are Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial); currency: South African rand