Teen weightlifter Koyel strikes double gold at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships – GetBengal story
Fitness is a world where consistency, determination, discipline, and sacrifice play the most pivotal roles, but these qualities often don’t go with the restless, carefree spirit of teenage years. However, a 17-year-old girl from Howrah, West Bengal, has defied this stereotype by redefining what it means to be young and unstoppable.
Koyel Bar, a seventeen-year-old from Howrah, West Bengal, scripted history at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships by receiving double gold in the youth and junior women’s 53 kg categories.
Koyel started her weightlifting journey in 2018, inspired by her father’s gym routine. She started weightlifting only out of curiosity, but it grew into an unwavering passion with time.
Koyel astounded the audience and the expert by breaking the youth world clean & jerk record with 107 kg and tying the youth world snatch record with an 85 kg lift. In addition to earning her top honours, her combined weight of 192 kg broke the previous record of 188 kg and established a new youth world record.
The championships, held in Ahmedabad from August 24 to 30, saw participation from 291 athletes across 30 Commonwealth nations. Yet it was the teenager from Bengal who snatched the spotlight with her extraordinary strength.
National chief coach Vijay Sharma hailed Koyel as a “physically strong and technically gifted athlete.” Sharma also said, “Koyel’s progress has been phenomenal. We worked on strengthening her technique and building her physical conditioning in a scientific way.”
Koyel started her weightlifting journey in 2018, inspired by her father’s gym routine. She started weightlifting only out of curiosity, but it grew into an unwavering passion with time. Under her coach Sharma’s guidance, she has undergone rigorous training along with food habits focused on technique, strength, and mental resilience, which played a pivotal role in her record-breaking success.
Koyel astounded the audience and the expert by breaking the youth world clean & jerk record with 107 kg and tying the youth world snatch record with an 85 kg lift.
In West Bengal, her historic victory has been widely celebrated. The teenager has brought great pride to the state, and Hon. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated her, referring to her as "our Bengal girl." She also declared that Koyel would receive congratulations for her outstanding accomplishment and promised the government's full support.
Koyel's achievements show what young athletes can achieve with the right encouragement, opportunity, and focused training. Her story reflects the rise of women in traditionally male-dominated competitive fields and India's growing interest in amateur sports.
