By Najiya O, TwoCircles.net
Majiziya Bhanu has done it again. The Kerala girl has won a gold medal in the 56 kg senior women’s open category at the World Powerlifting Championship being held in Russia for the second year in a row.
“This is my answer to those who have questioned me. I have struggled a lot to reach here. Here also it was not that easy, being the only one from Kerala in the Indian team. However I am happy that I could do the best performance in my career here,” an exuberant Majiziya told TwoCircles.net.
Majiziya had to face unexpected setbacks during her preparations to go to Russia for the championship. She had to cancel the deal for sponsorship with an NRI businessman barely three weeks before the championship, which made it almost impossible to find the funds. She had to put up a message on the social media requesting help, which was received well and people helped her.
Bhanu came to limelight when she won the Miss Kerala title at the Mr Kerala competition in 2018 organised by the Bodybuilding Association of Kerala and the Sports Council of Kerala, making her the only hijab-clad woman to win the prize. She has won several medals in national and international level competitions in powerlifting and arm-wrestling ever since she entered the field in 2016. She won silver at the Asian Powerlifting Championship held in Indonesia in 2017. She was awarded the ‘best lifter’ prize at the World Powerlifting Championship held in Russia in Dec 2018, in which she won gold at the 56 kg senior women’s category and the deadlift category.
She had also attended the 40th World Armwrestling Championship held in Turkey in 2018. Majiziya has just completed her Bachelor’s degree in Dental Science from a college in Mahe.