Resilient Jaspreet: From being overweight to winning gold in Para Games powerlifting competition

Truly inspirational story of Jaspreet Kaur who set a new national record in powerlifting in the Para Games in Delhi with an effort of 101 kg, surpassing her own previous best of 100 kg

Hyderabad: From an overweight software engineer to gold medallist in the Khelo India Para Games powerlifting competition!

Well, this has been yet another truly inspirational story when Punjab’s Jaspreet Kaur set a new national record in powerlifting in the Para
Games in Delhi on Monday with an effort of 101 kg, surpassing her own previous best of 100kg in the Nationals earlier this month.

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A graduate from NIT Kozhikode, Jaspreet’s resilience got her to lose 40kg as she forayed into the sporting arena.

“Doctors told me that my lower spine was getting pressed and that I needed to lose weight. That was a wake-up call. I was weighing 80kg at
the time during 2020, and my job as an engineer required me to sit for several hours. I was scared that it would lead me to being
wheelchair-bound,” Jaspreet informed SAI Media.

“The game has chosen me, rather than me choosing the game. My weight loss gave me powerlifting, and powerlifting gave me confidence. Now, I want to win a medal for India in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028 and make headlines, just like my coach Rajinder Sir did back in the 2004 Athens Paralympics, where he won the bronze in para powerlifting,” the champion athlete said.

Struck by polio at the age of three, Jaspreet Kaur, who walks with the help of callipers now, returned to Punjab after quitting her job in 2020, and started her weight loss journey. Studies were also a key priority.

“I started preparing for UPSC once I returned home and in seven months, cleared the pre-exams,” she added. Her transformative fitness
journey, over the course of one and a half years, relied solely on a disciplined diet.

“I was my own nutritionist, and I did all the studies and research on nutrition. My only goal was to lose weight and fix my hip issues. I
cut down fast food and sugar, drank warm water twice a day, and ensured proper nutrition with desi ghee and four meals daily. Staying
hungry weakens the liver, so I was careful,” Jaspreet elaborated.

It wasn’t until the end of 2022 that she stumbled upon the Paralympic Games in general while reading newspapers. With a hunger to
participate in the games, Jaspreet called up fellow Punjab-based para-powerlifters and Paralympians Rajinder Singh Rahelu and Paramjeet
Kumar. Inspired by their achievements, she decided to give the sport a shot.

In her first nationals that same year, Jaspreet lifted 70kg and clinched gold, earning a spot at the prestigious Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar.

“I had no idea para powerlifting existed. I was always motivated by sportspeople, but I was too engrossed in studies to consider it for
myself. When I found out about it, I knew I had to try,” continued Jaspreet, who holds an MTech degree and has even published an
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers thesis,” she said.

Under the expert guidance of Arjuna Award-winning coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu at SAI Gandhinagar, Jaspreet honed her technique and strength, steadily improving to lift over twice her body weight within three years.