Odisha’s women weightlifters, Jyoshna Sabar and Mina Santa, brought immense pride to India and their home state by winning a total of four medals, including three gold, on the opening day of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Suva, Fiji. Their remarkable achievements have once again showcased the strength of Odisha’s sports talent on the international stage.

Jyoshna Sabar clinched gold in the youth women’s 40kg category, with a total lift of 123kg. This included 58kg in the snatch and 65kg in clean & jerk. This is her seventh international medal, adding to her previous gold at the Commonwealth Championship in Noida, Uttar Pradesh last year. The young tribal lifter hails from Gajapati district, and her victory continues to make waves in the weightlifting community.

Meanwhile, Mina Santa achieved her career-best performance by securing two gold and one silver in the 55kg weight category. Mina lifted 81kg in the snatch and 99kg in clean & jerk, totaling 180kg, which won her gold in both the youth and junior categories, and a silver in the senior group. This marks Mina’s second international medal, following her first gold at the Commonwealth Championship last year. Mina, a native of Nabarangpur district, is a rising star in Indian weightlifting.

Both lifters are products of the Odisha-Tenvic Weightlifting High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar, a facility dedicated to nurturing weightlifting talent. They are also studying Plus-Two Arts at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar. Before leaving for the championship in Fiji, the duo attended the National Camp at SAI NSNIS, Patiala.