Long before Indian star weightlifter Gyaneshwari Yadav stood on the podium with a silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she was lifting gas cylinders and concrete slabs in a modest home in Chhattisgarh. Because that’s what her father could afford. Deepak Yadav, an electrician from Bhodiya village in Rajnandgaon, once dreamed of making a name for himself in bodybuilding. Family responsibilities forced him to leave that dream behind. But he never let it die. Instead, he quietly passed it on to his daughter.Today, 23-year-old Gyaneshwari is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist in the women’s 53kg weightlifting category. Behind that medal lies a story of sacrifice, persistence and a father who never stopped believing.
28 Jul 2026 | 16:22
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A father who gave up one dream to build another
Gyaneshwari Yadav with her parents.
Years ago, Deepak competed in bodybuilding and won titles like ‘Mr Rajnandgaon, Madhya Pradesh Kishore and Chhattisgarh Kumar’. But earning a livelihood became more important than chasing medals. “When Gyaneshwari was born, me and my wife Durga decided that we would make her a sportsperson,” he told the Indian Express.And when his daughter finally climbed the Commonwealth Games podium, the moment felt deeply personal. “When Gyaneshwari won the silver medal, I could see myself on the podium.”
A gym where people stared
When Gyaneshwari was around 13, Deepak took her to a local gym and introduced her to powerlifting. Father and daughter trained together. A young girl lifting heavy weights alongside her father in a gym mostly occupied by men invited curious looks and raised eyebrows. But neither of them paid attention.Within a year, Deepak recognised that his daughter had greater potential and approached weightlifting coach Ajay Lohar Vishvkarma after the local gym set up a makeshift weightlifting hall. That decision changed everything.
“On the first day, I knew she was different”
Coach Ajay Lohar still remembers their first session. “On the first day of dry lifting, she lifted a 15kg wooden plank with ease and I could sense that she would be a good weightlifter.”From there, Gyaneshwari’s rise was steady. She won medals at the National School Games, the Chhattisgarh State Championships, the Khelo India Games and junior national competitions.
Training with whatever life offered
During the Covid-19 lockdown, when gyms shut for months, training didn’t stop. Her father made her lift gas cylinders and concrete slabs that he prepared himself. He also remembers her extraordinary strength from an early age. ” Gyaneshwari could also do bench presses easily, even as a 14-year-old. Be it rain or peak summer, she never missed training in the gym, where there were no fans in the hall at that time.”
Years of struggle before financial relief arrived
Gyaneshwari Yadav with parents in her younger days.
Supporting a weightlifter wasn’t easy for a family surviving on an electrician’s income. Deepak often worked extra shifts to keep his daughter’s sporting journey alive. He would arrange nutritious food however he could. “During her training days here, I would get chicken and juice daily and have a monthly arrangement with the vendor that I will pay the full amount when I could,” he told in an interview.The family’s financial situation improved after Gyaneshwari joined the Chhattisgarh Police as an Assistant Sub-Inspector. But the biggest reward came after Glasgow. Following her silver-medal performance, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced a cash reward of ₹30 lakh and an out-of-turn promotion to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
And after all the medals, she still asks for the same meal
Despite travelling the world and standing on international podiums, Gyaneshwari hasn’t forgotten home. Her father already knows what she’ll ask for when she returns. “When she comes home, she would ask her mother to make dal rice and chutney, her comfort food,” he said.
Parenting lessons hidden inside this story
Most parents cannot produce international athletes. But every parent can create an environment where children feel capable of chasing difficult dreams.Deepak invested belief before he invested moneyHe couldn’t afford sophisticated equipment or expensive coaching in the beginning. What he offered first was confidence. He treated his daughter’s dream as something worth taking seriously long before the world did. Children often borrow confidence from their parents before they develop their own.He became part of the journey instead of just watching itDeepak didn’t simply drop Gyaneshwari at practice. He trained with her, learnt alongside her and even helped create makeshift training equipment during the lockdown. When parents participate, children often develop greater commitment because the journey feels shared rather than imposed.He ignored social judgmentA father taking his teenage daughter to lift weights in a male-dominated gym invited criticism. He could have chosen the easier path. Instead, he chose the right one for his child. Many children give up dreams not because they lack talent, but because adults worry too much about “what people will say.”He celebrated effort long before medals arrivedYears passed between the first day in the gym and the Commonwealth podium. There were no guarantees of success. Yet training continued every day. Parents who praise discipline, consistency and hard work, not just results, help children develop a resilience that goes far beyond sports.Perhaps that is why Gyaneshwari’s silver medal feels bigger than sport. It is proof that sometimes the greatest gift a parent gives a child isn’t money, connections or perfect facilities. It is the courage to dream without limits and the willingness to carry that dream together until the child is strong enough to carry it alone.
