Meet the heavy lifter

Neha Saini

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Lifting close to 300 kg and adding to the count every passing day is not an easy job. But so is the task of having to carry the burden of lifting up a professional sport in India. Despite the lack of finances and the required spirit to promote a professional sport like power lifting, Amritsar-based professional athlete Vishal Khanna has been carrying out both the mentioned tasks rather successfully.

An internationally acclaimed power lifter, winner and Asian record holder in bench press championships, the 34-year-old powerlifter recently did the country proud by winning the world Powerlifting Championship held in Sydney, Australia. Khanna won gold in his weight category 125kg Raw Bench Press as he lifted 257.5kg weight, which is record for any Indian power lifter.

Competing against some of the strongest men on the planet, Vishal’s consistent approach and dedication is what got him the success. “It was a proud moment to hold my country’s flag as the world recognised my win. No Indian power lifter has ever achieved what I have and that’s another high,” he said.

Starting his journey towards becoming one of the strongest men in the world, Vishal began working on his body in early 1999. He won the title of strongest man in Punjab and later, Best physique at the Mr India contest. He started power lifting when it wasn’t even a recognised sport in Indian schools or colleges, let alone providing an international platform. But it didn’t stop him and he went on to win National and Asian Championships in no time. “I have been pursuing professional power lifting since 12 years, became the only one to do so in India and have won many championships in US, Europe and Asia. But I was compelled to shift my base to Canada, as power lifting didn’t leave me much scope as a sport in India,” says Vishal. He later returned and pursued the sport with increased vigor and expertise.

He trained for the world championships after his silver medal win at the Eurasia Championship early this year. The lack of professional equipments and training available in India made him look for some outsource options. “I had to even train through video conferencing by my US-based coach, which left me with three hours of gruelling training schedule every day. Also, some of my students also helped me as we are not just representing the sport but also supporting it in India.”

Though the power lifter has been a part of several coveted international events, his personal achievements are all a means to serve his original purpose. With his achievements, he has brought in the concept of raw power lifting to India. “It’s much more challenging and exciting than the usual weight lifting as it doesn’t use the aid of usual equipments like pads, gloves, or guards,” he says.

Like all other alternative sports that do not spell cricket in India, power lifting too has no takers. “There is no state-sponsored training centre for the sport in the country, which is a sad fact considering the game is catching up popularity in Europe and Asian countries. Since the game is in its nascent stage in India, we are supporting the game financially and morally. I want to develop the right infrastructure and professional environment for the sport with my experience,” he says. Having said that, he also shares how the difference is not just with the infrastructure but with the attitude. “Sports in our country is taken up for two purposes — employment and money. I train youngsters who want to take up the sport professionally but don’t have the means or guidance to do so,” he says. Two of his students have already competed in the Amateur Powerlifting tournaments and one of them, Lovedeep Singh has won gold.

Next on his agenda is the 300kg target. “I want to achieve the target of lifting 300kg and including myself in top five lifters of the world. My achievements belongs to every Indian, every young lifter, who wants to do something for nation.”