Learn about kettlebell lifting, a sport gaining popularity in Tamil Nadu

What is kettlebell lifting, a sport that is slowly gaining popularity in in Tamil Nadu?

A training session is in the works on the second floor of Kolathur’s The Hammer Fitness gym, on a particularly hot April morning.

Kettlebell coach Vignesh Hariharan is at work, teaching 55-year-old Sharmila Kumari Pinjala the proper method to lift and sustain a weight for a solid period of time. Sharmila, currently a zumba and Pilates instructor based out of Bengaluru, first heard the word ‘kettlebell’ only five years ago when one of her students suggested she introduce it in her dance-cum-fitness sessions.

“I have always been scared of weights. Though I am into fitness, I have never been a gym person. I was sceptical because I didn’t know if I would be able to lift even more than two kilograms,” she laughs, reminiscing about a time before her attempt to take on a certification course in kettlebell lifting.

Today, she is beaming with joy as her first tryst with any sport has resulted in a gold medal part of the OALC (one-arm long cycle) 30-minute category and a bronze in the OALC 10-minute category at the recently-held 12th GSIF Kettlebell National Championship in Goa. Winning a rich tally of medals, the nine-member Tamil Nadu team displayed their prowess at the event that showcased top kettlebell players across the nation.

For Vignesh Hariharan, who has been an integral part of the city’s kettlebell training circuit, this is a moment of reckoning. Vignesh came into popularity in 2019 when he was crowned World Champion in Australia, thus becoming the first person in South India to be awarded the title. “In the Goa event, we had a nine-year-old and a 55-year-old taking part. As a coach, that gave me great joy,” says Vignesh, who also participated in the event, clinching three gold medals in different categories.

‘Never give up’

For the uninitiated, the sport of kettlebell originated in Russia and is still practised by Russian army personnel to hone their physical and mental strength. In Russia, the sport is known as girevoy, and athletes are called gireviks. “It can be played from by a wide group of people, ranging from the age groups of eight to 80. But it will test your patience; that’s when the sport gets intense,” says Vignesh.