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Stephy Zhang

An Indian powerlifter who won a silver medal at a world championship has spoken out after being targeted with online harassment and objectified for her looks, calling the ordeal “sexism at its finest”.
Keyaa Kunal Banerji, 21, showed remarkable strength early in her career at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, late last month.
Weighing 45.7kg in the Junior Women’s 47kg category, Banerji pulled 140kg in the dead lift, more than three times her body weight, to claim second place in the individual dead lift event and secure a silver medal.
However, after a video of her performance went viral online, the promising young athlete was forced to navigate unwelcome internet fame as public discussion quickly shifted away from her athletic achievement and towards her physical appearance.
According to Indian news agency ANI, Banerji faced cyberbullying, attacks from fake accounts, photo misuse, and thousands of unauthorised AI-altered images generated using her likeness.

Meet Keyaa Kunal Banerji,
a 21-year-old from Haryana who just deadlifted more than 3x her own bodyweight on a world stage.
At the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, Keyaa stepped up weighing 45.70kg and pulled… https://t.co/Tejn9spILX pic.twitter.com/oDugZnEBZH
— Vaibhav Bodana (@VaibhavSpace) September 3, 2026

“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 said.
“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.
Despite the distress caused by the sudden viral focus, Banerji said she was grateful for the opportunity to do news interviews and speak about her passion for powerlifting.
“So, I’m over it. I’m definitely over it. But it was a little bit hard in the middle,” she said.
Banerji originally had no plans to become a professional athlete, hitting the gym merely for personal fitness before a friend introduced her to powerlifting. That friend was a world-class powerlifting coach who had previously won a gold medal for India.
“So, I felt extremely inspired and felt very curious about how this works,” she said.

As her numbers in the squat, bench press and dead lift steadily improved, her curiosity gradually transformed into competitive ambition. Despite the unwanted online attention, Banerji remains firmly focused on the sport that has played a central role in 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.
During the world championship event, Banerji also logged a 90kg squat and a 50kg bench press, finishing with a 280kg total that placed her fifth overall in her weight class.
Banerji, who recently earned a BSc in Psychology from Ashoka University, is considering pursuing a Master of Business Administration.


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India's Keyaa Kunal Banerji lifted 140kg in the deadlift at the world junior powerlifting championships in South Africa last month. Photo: Handout

A photo circulated online likening Keyaa Kunal Banerji receiving her medal to an anime character. Photo: X

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Keyaa Kunal Banerji calls out ‘sexism at its finest’, saying her feat of lifting more than three times her body weight was downplayed


Keyaa Kunal Banerji calls out ‘sexism at its finest’, saying her feat of lifting more than three times her body weight was downplayed.


Indian powerlifter won silver medal at world meet but says internet focused on her looks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Keyaa Kunal Banerji calls out ‘sexism at its finest’, saying her feat of lifting more than three times her body weight was downplayed

Keyaa Kunal Banerji calls out ‘sexism at its finest’, saying her feat of lifting more than three times her body weight was downplayed