Amravati: A brief visit to her school's gym changed the life of a 10-year-old Kripa Ganesh Patil. Being a student of class five, Kripa was able to lift 55 kg without any training at Vijaya Convent School's gym. Her principal Padmashree Deshmukh who witnessed it was awestruck.
Kripa's father was all for it when he learnt about his daughter's ability. They enrolled her in a gym in their neighbourhood. They also conntected Kripa with her aunt who is a bodybuilder in Pune for good. Kripa's constant hard work and guidance from Akhara gym trainer Swaraj and her aunt made her earn the title of Maharashtra's youngest powerlifter.
Being just a 10-year-old, Kripa started her journey to powerlifting by first lifting 30 kg. In conversation with ETV Bharat, Kripa said, "I slowly started increasing weight and was finally able to lift 97 kg. Soon after I came to know about the national powerlifting competition being held in Chhattisgarh's Raipur, I started training for the competition."
I had to follow a strict diet and to practice consistently." Her hard work and determination paid off and she won gold medal in the competition by lifting twice as much as her weight. She credits her success to her parents, school principal, aunt, and trainers.
Kripa's mother said, "Kripa was the youngest compared to other players in the competition, yet she secured the first position by lifting twice as much as her weight. That means she lifted 97.5 kg. This was a huge achievement for her. She began her training with Swaraj and Mankar and her aunt from Pune guided her throughout this journey. She was trained by international coach Dagdu Gawhale for this competition."
We need to keep a special check on her diet. She must get all the required nutrients. After winning this competition which was held in Raipur from January 5 to 8, Kripa now has set her eyes on international competitions. She is the youngest powerlifter in Maharashtra, she said.
