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Chasing mother’s dream, Purnima looks for podium finish at CWG
Young weightlifter Purnima Pandey has been chasing a dream for her mother Vimla Pandey, a badminton player of her time
Young weightlifter Purnima Pandey has been chasing a dream for her mother Vimla Pandey, a badminton player of her time. A podium finish at the upcoming Commonwealth Games at Birmingham is her only aim and she has been leaving no stone unturned to make her mother’s dream a reality.
Already in Birmingham for the Games starting July 28, Purnima has seen the struggle of her mother Vimla, who never lost courage to help her daughter achieve success be it in gymnastics, powerlifting and eventually weightlifting.
“My mother has always stood by me. She is my only inspiration. I have been in Birmingham for a month and wish to realise my mother’s dream with a podium finish,” Purnima said on Friday. “All my efforts are to pay tribute to my mother’s struggle and I wish I could move heaven and earth for her.”
The 24-year-old lifter Purnima, who hails from the Gaighat area in Varanasi, had a sixth-place finish at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. She was a bronze medallist at the Youth Asian Championship and won a gold medal at the 2021 Commonwealth Championship after bagging a silver medal in the same championship in 2017.
In fact, the gold medal at the 2021 Commonwealth Championship in Tashkent changed everything for Purnima, who not only got the ticket for the Birmingham Games, but also set eight national records on her way to gold in the women’s 87+kg category.
She lifted 229kg (102kg+127kg) to get the top slot and qualify directly for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Purnima created eight national records, two in the snatch section and three each in clean and jerk and total category. Her three national records were in the snatch section, and one each in the clean and jerk.
“It was like a dream come true as I was determined for a ticket to Birmingham, but never expected to set eight new national records in the championship,” said Purnima.
“I am satisfied with my training and if I managed to do my best, like I did at Tashkent, I would certainly make a podium finish,” she said.
She said she couldn’t train properly during the Covid-19 lockdown. “It was quite disappointing, but my mother encouraged me to stay focused. That’s why I could win gold at Tashkent,” said Purnima.
She also said the competition at the Commonwealth Games was not going to be easy. “A tough fight is expected but I am counting on my strength and skills,” said Purnima, who did powerlifting at the Kashi Vyayamshala in her early days before switching to weightlifting in 2013. Purnima, who will soon marry businessman Dushyant Dagar in Varanasi, said everyone in the family, including her prospective in-laws, supported her. She aims to excel in next year’s Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics too.
