NEW DELHI: Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji had every reason to expect attention after producing one of the standout performances of her young career. Instead, the 21-year-old found herself confronting an uncomfortable side of online fame after her 140kg deadlift and World Championship silver medal went viral.
Banerji's breakthrough came at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, where she competed in the Junior Women's 47kg category. Weighing 45.70kg, she pulled 140kg in the deadlift — more than three times her competition bodyweight — to finish second in the individual deadlift event and win a silver medal.
But as the clip of her lift spread across social media, much of the conversation around her achievement shifted away from powerlifting. Banerji said she was subjected to trolling, fake accounts, misuse of her images and thousands of unauthorised AI-generated manipulated images using her likeness. For the young athlete, the experience was not simply about unpleasant comments. She saw it as a stark example of the sexism women athletes continue to encounter when their achievements attract a large online audience.
"I think it was just sexism at its finest. I don't think I can put it any other way. The way I was treated - men would never have to face this, like after winning a championship or something like that; a male athlete never has to face something like this," Banerji told ANI.
"Most of the conversation revolved around my appearance. All people would talk about was my appearance, and I think that really bothered me because I had accomplished something so big for myself and I had done something so big in my sport," she added.
The irony was not lost on Banerji. The lift that drew widespread attention was itself the product of years of work and a sport that she has come to deeply enjoy. At the World Championships, Banerji also recorded a 90kg squat and a 50kg bench press, finishing with a 280kg total and placing fifth overall in the Junior Women's 47kg category.
France's Ines Herbaux won the individual deadlift gold with 165kg, while Ireland's Blathnaid O'Dwyer also lifted 140kg. Banerji, however, had arrived at the competition with ambitions that went beyond simply making the podium.
"I think initially it is a great feeling. Once it came out on social media, I did get a little bit overwhelmed. There was some negative attention, but I would like to avoid talking about that too much. I am very proud of myself and very happy with my accomplishment. I have been working towards this for two years," she said.
The silver medal itself had not been part of her original expectations. "This silver medal was something I wasn't expecting initially. I was just happy to be present at the World Championship because powerlifting is a long-term sport. I do have plans of eventually winning a World Championship and getting a gold back for the country," Banerji said.
"It started with me thinking that this World Championship is something I'm going to attend just for experience. The fact that I ended up putting such a good number up and winning a medal was just absolutely incredible," she added.
The 140kg deadlift became the defining moment of her campaign, but Banerji's own assessment of the lift was more measured. She explained that competition-day performances can differ considerably from what an athlete manages in training.
"Competition day numbers and training numbers aren't always the same. Performing as an athlete on competition day is very different from what you do in training. In powerlifting, we usually try to hit maxes in competition," she said.
"Although my result worked out in a way that I won a silver medal, as an athlete, the planning that my coach and I had done, 140 kg was on the lower end of the range for what we were planning to hit that day," she added.
In training, Banerji had already gone beyond that mark. "In training, I have hit around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. 147.5 kg is also the Asian record. So, my ideal day would have been breaking the Asian record on stage. I was a little disheartened that I wasn't able to do that," she said.
The 140kg lift was only her second deadlift attempt. She subsequently went for 142.5kg but could not complete it.
"140 kg wasn't my third deadlift; it was my second deadlift. It moved a little bit slower than expected compared to how it moves in training. So, I took a smaller jump of 142.5 after that, and I failed that lift. It wasn't an ideal day, but things worked out," she said.
While the online attention was difficult, Banerji does not want the trolling to define the story of her World Championship campaign.
"In fact, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be talking to news channels because it gives me the opportunity to actually talk about my passion for the sport and my journey progressing my numbers, etc. So, I'm over it. I'm definitely over it. But it was a little bit hard in the middle," she said.
That passion dates back to when powerlifting was not even part of her plans.
"When I was first starting out, I just started going to the gym for a sense of personal fulfilment and just taking care of my health, etc. But I had a friend who was a powerlifting coach and was also competing at a world level. He has also won a gold medal for the country. So, I felt extremely inspired and felt very curious about how this works," she said.
That curiosity eventually became competitive ambition as her numbers improved in the squat, bench press and deadlift.
Banerji also stressed that powerlifting is a highly technical discipline, contrary to the simplistic perception that it is merely about lifting as much weight as possible.
"There are rules, making sure that your lift matches the commands of the referee, making sure that once you've picked up, for instance, once you've completed your deadlift, you can't just leave the bar. You can only put it down once the referee asks you to put it down. So, there are a lot of, it's a very technical sport. There are a lot of things that go into it," she said.
For Banerji, the sport has also been a constant through an important period of her life.
"My sport is something that really helped me in my life. During my college times, I used to look forward to training. Sometimes I would have to train at night, sometimes I would have to skip classes to train, but it's something that never really bothered me. It's always something I really enjoyed," she said.
Her progression is reflected in her numbers. At the 2025 National Championship, she lifted 82.5kg in the squat, 47.5kg in the bench press and 127.5kg in the deadlift for a 257.5kg total. She later improved to 95kg in the squat, 52.5kg in the bench press and 140kg in the deadlift, taking her total to 287.5kg.
The World Championship therefore represented another significant step, even if her own assessment suggests there is considerably more to come.
"I can't explain it, and I am overwhelmed. I was very happy to just be there. To be at that World Championship, meet my competitors, see the girls that I used to look up to around me and compete in the same competition — it was an unreal feeling," she said.
Banerji, who recently graduated from Ashoka University with a BSc in Psychology, is considering pursuing an MBA. But her immediate sporting ambition remains clear: continue improving her numbers and eventually win a World Championship gold for India. The unwanted online attention may have become part of her story, but it is not what Banerji wants to be remembered for.
