Age no bar for these inspiring senior Indian women athletes

Meet three women who are excelling at powerlifting and athletics and have won an impressive collection of medals

They may be called India’s late bloomers in the world of sports. It makes them more inspiring.

These confident women have displayed skill, grit and determination, practising all year round to win District, State and National-level sporting competitions. All to enter the international area and bring home the gold. Their statement is loud and clear : age is just a number.

’Powerlifting means heavy muscle, and you’ll end up looking like male bodybuilders’ is the biggest misconception women have with regard to powerlifting. This is not true. Women do not have the same kind of hormones as men to build that kind of muscle. Under the tutelage of an experienced trainer, you can be guided to excel without hurting yourself.

It has been 10 years since I started weight training. I travel to Kochi from Thycattuserry village in Alappuzha district on the train three times a week to work with my coach. I went professional in 2019 and entered my first competition at the district level.

I come from a conservative family, and even the costume I wore at the competition was frowned upon by some family members. But, my husband and daughters are very supportive and encouraged me to continue doing what I enjoy the most. 

Sometimes you have to break that barrier, and not get pulled into it. I see each competition as an opportunity to better myself and study techniques followed by others. I’m gearing up for my next competition in Bangalore this month. 

Reeni Tharakan recently won All Squat (Gold), All Bench Press (Gold), All Deadlift (Gold) and Overall in Category (Gold) at the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic and Equipped Masters Powerlifting Championships at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 2023.