At 69, Commonwealth Games medallist from Ludhiana still holds passion, grooms young weightlifters
Took up the sport in 1978
Parvesh Chander Sharma of Ludhiana won medals in the 1990 Commonwealth Games held in Auckland, New Zealand. He bagged two gold medals in clean and jerk and one silver medal in men’s featherweight category. Later, he also secured a gold medal in 60 kg weight group in the World Youth Weightlifting Championship in 1993 in Iran.
Parvesh established a new national record in clean and jerk (153 kg) in the Senior National Championship in 1990 at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. His achievements are notable — he has won numerous medals in different weight categories at the national and international-level tournaments.
Parvesh (69) took up the sport in 1978 and gave a stunning performance next year in his maiden competition, when he successfully attempted 130 kg squat and 107 kg bench press to make headlines. He emerged state champion the same year in Patiala.
In 1979, representing Panjab University, Chandigarh, in the All-India Inter-Universities Weightlifting Championship held at Meerut, Parvesh gave an impressive performance to be declared the champion.
This was followed by another sterling performance, when in1980, in the Junior National Championship at Jabalpur, he hogged limelight by clinching top honours. For his outstanding achievement, Parvesh was recruited in the Railways. He got superannuated after putting in 38 years of service as Chief Inspector Ticket In-charge (CIT-Line).
Parvesh had retained the position of national champion for seven years and also established a national record with a lift of 153 kg weight. He dominated the weightlifting scene for twelve years (1981 to 1993).
Parvesh was conferred with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, the highest Punjab state honour in sports in 1985 and was also bestowed upon the best sportsperson of the Railways award in 1991.
He had to give up the sport due to disc problem, but this didn’t stop him. He could’ve taken a backseat, but his passion for weightlifting kept him going. Now, he, with the help of like-minded sports enthusiasts, is channeling that energy into training young talent at the Ludhiana Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Club, Rakh Bagh, opposite the Guru Nanak Stadium.
As general secretary of the Ludhiana District Weightlifting Association, Parvesh is definitely keeping things accessible for young athletes, charging just an affordable Rs 500 fee for half year. He is pushing for better facilities for athletes and has led a delegation to Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain to request modern equipment and renovation at Rakh Bagh weightlifting centre, which is in dire need of repairs.
“The centre, established in 1987, has been facing issues like leaking ceilings and worn-out flooring, making it challenging for weightlifters to train. The DC assured us and hopefully it will start soon to provide a safer and more functional training environment for the aspiring athletes,” said Parvesh.
Over 30 years of tirelessly training and mentoring young weightlifting talent, Parvesh is creating a ripple effect as the youngsters are getting opportunities, gaining confidence and becoming role models themselves. His trainees have achieved recognition by becoming national and international-level weightlifters.
Parvesh’s commitment to the sport and his trainees is unwavering and it’s reflected in the success of his students as over 24 of them have gone to compete at the national level and secured jobs in organisations like the Railways, Punjab Police, Punjab Sports Department and other Public Sector Undertakings.
