Biography Of Karnam Malleswari: Life, Achievements & More!

Biography of Karnam Malleswari: Karnam Malleswari is an Indian weightlifter who is recognized as the first woman from India to win a medal at the Olympics and is named the ‘Iron Lady of India because of her achievements at the Sydney 2000 Olympics by lifting a total of 240 kg in the ‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ categories. Karnam Malleswari finished third in the 1993 World Championships. She then won the 54 kg world titles in 1994 and 1995. Read this blog to learn more about the ‘Biography of Karnam Malleswari’.

Biography of Karnam Malleswari

Here is an overview table of the biography of Karnam Malleswari:

Aspect	Details
Full Name	Karnam Malleswari
Date of Birth	June 1, 1975
Place of Birth	Village of Amba, near Weightlifting Academy, India
Sport	Weightlifting
Weight Class	54 kg
Olympic Achievement	First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal
Olympic Medal	Bronze Medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
World Championships	Gold Medalist at the 1994 World Weightlifting Championships
Asian Games	Gold Medalist at the 1994 Asian Games
Retirement	Retired from competitive weightlifting after the 2000 Olympics
Awards and Honors	Padma Bhushan (2000), Padma Shri (1999), various state honors
Post-Retirement Work	Involved in coaching, motivational speaking and administrative roles in sports

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Early Life of Karnam Malleswari

The most important aspect of the biography of Karnam Malleswari is her early life and how she was named  ‘Iron Lady of India’.

• Karnam Malleswari was born on June 1, 1975, in a small village in the district of Andhra Pradesh.
• She belonged to a Telugu Brahmin family and had four sisters.
• Malleswari started lifting weights when she was twelve years old; however, because of her thin frame, coaches initially doubted her, but her mother pushed her to continue the sport.
• She was trained by Neelamshetty Appanna, a local coach, and later came under the guidance of Olympic champion Leonid Taranenko.
• In 1990, she broke nine national records in the 52 kg category in weightlifting.
• She won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 1993, becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at the World Championships. 
• She then won gold medals at the World Championships in 1994 and 1995.
• Malleswari then also competed in the Asian Games, winning a silver medal in 1994
• The 2000 Sydney Olympics had a significant impact on her career, as she won the bronze medal.
• In 1997, she married fellow weightlifter Rajesh Tyagi.

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Karnam Malleswari: Career

She is considered ‘Bharat ki beti’ who moved to Delhi for training under the Sports Authority of India.

• In 1990, she joined a national camp, where her talent became very noticeable.
• She won a bronze medal in 1993 at the World Championships, which became her first breakthrough.
• Malleswari dominated the 54 kg category, winning gold medals at the World Championships in 1994 and 1995.
• She established herself as a leading weightlifter, accumulating 29 international medals (including 11 golds) throughout her career.

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Awards Won By Karnam Malleswari

Here is a table of the awards won by her –

Award	Year
Padma Bhushan	2000
Padma Shri	1999
Various state honors

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