At 70, Kannur native sets record in Common Wealth Masters and Masters World Cup Weightlifting championship
The Hindu
Coming back to weightlifting after 42 years, he sets a record by lifting 78 kg in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk event in the 55-kg category
Age is just a number for P.N. Jayasooryan. The 70-year-old from Kannur has proved this by winning gold medals and setting a record representing the country at the Common Wealth Masters and Masters World Cup Weightlifting championship held at Auckland in New Zealand.
Mr. Jayasooryan, a businessman, represented the country for the first time in an international event. He set a record by lifting 78 kg in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk event held for those in the 55-kg category.
Interestingly, he achieved the feat on his comeback to the sports after a gap of 42 years. He had represented the State at the national level. He left the sports while he was at his peak. He was then 28 years and moved abroad in search of a job.
“I joined the Royal Oman police and could never return to weightlifting. Though I practised Karate, which was part of the service, the hectic work schedule kept me away from sports,” he said. He later ventured into business, which further dragged him away from weightlifting.
Recalling his early days, Mr. Jayasooryan said that he was introduced to the event by well-known coach Janardhanan, who ran the Cannanore Bardel club in Kannur. Many of his friends, who went on to represent the State and the country, served in defence forces, Railway and other agencies, he added.
Despite leaving the sports, his passion for it never died and he returned to it a year ago with the support of his son Mithuvin, a weightlifter and trainer who runs an academy.
Though he participated in the National Masters competition and won a medal, the COVID-19 outbreak brought competitions to a halt. He trained himself for the competition in between his busy trips to various countries for his business.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.