From lifting rice sacks to a world championship gold - Harshada Garud’s amazing story 

Harshada Garud, at just 18 years of age, scripted history by becoming the first junior weightlifting world champion from India.

On May 2, 2022, Harshada Garud won the women’s 45kg gold medal at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships 2022 in Heraklion, Greece.

Even Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu could only manage a bronze at the junior meet in 2013. Jhilli Dalabehera (bronze), Achita Sheuli (silver) were the other Indian junior world championships medallists before Harshada’s feat.

Harshada Garud lifted 70kg in snatch, which was the best in the field, and was second-best in clean and jerk with an 83kg lift.

The overall effort of 153kg was more than enough to earn Harshada the gold medal. Turkey's Bektas Cansu won silver with a total of 150kg (65kg+85kg).

Who is Harshada Garud?

Harshada Garud’s journey from a remote village called Wadgaon, near Pune, to the top of the podium started when her father spotted her innate ability to lift heavy weights a few years ago.

When Harshada was 13 years old, her father Sharad Garud, a pump operator in the village, saw her carrying a 50kg rice sack effortlessly.

It was a sign for Sharad, a state-level weightlifter in his youth, that Harshada was meant for the big stage - a dream he himself had to give up due to financial difficulties.

“The day she lifted that 50kg sack of rice, I pushed her into weightlifting to complete my dream,” Sharad Garud told the Indian Express. “Thankfully, my daughter hated studies, or she would have been caught up in books.”

He put Harshada under the guidance of acclaimed coach Biharilal Dube, who has been running a sports academy called Dube Gurukul, in Wadgaon since 1980.

Harshada is nicknamed Radio for her talkative nature but is a committed athlete when it comes to training.

“She will talk non-stop outside, but not a word when in training. She’s very ambitious and focussed,” Harshada’s mother, Rekha Garud, revealed.

Under the tutelage of Biharilal Dube, Harshada Garud improved quickly and won the under-17 girls’ Khelo India Youth Games 2020 title and followed it up with a bronze medal at the Asian youth and junior weightlifting championships.

She lifted a total of 139kg at both the events.

The gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 earned Harshada Garud an invite to the national camp in Patiala, where she altered her technique to further improve her performance.

Harshada lifted 143kg at the national championships 2021 to finish second in the youth category.

Despite being admitted to a hospital for 10 days due to a swollen liver at the end of 2021, Harshada made a strong comeback in 2022.

The Wadgaon native continued pushing her limits and raised to 145kg at the 2022 nationals to win bronze.

Harshada Garud won her first senior international medal at the Asian weightlifting championships 2022 in Bahrain, clinching the bronze in the women's 45kg category. She lifted a total of 152kg (68kg snatch + 84kg clean and jerk) to finish on the podium.

Along with her determination, the diet at the national camp also played a big role in Harshada’s steady improvement.

“I like chicken and pav bhaji. But you know when you stay at home you eat all the wrong things. But at the camp I started eating right, even veggies and lots of meat. My legs got stronger,” Harshada said.

Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at Savitribai Phule Pune University, Harshada Garud has set her eyes on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

“I’ll keep training and follow a process. But I’m stubborn. I know I want a medal from the 2028 Olympics. If I want it, I want it,” a motivated Harshada Garud said.