Bhubaneswar: Priteesmita Bhoi, a 15-year-old weightlifter from Dhenkanal, Odisha, received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Purashkar from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Thursday for excellence in the field of sports.
Priteesmita made history as the first Indian to set a world record in the clean and jerk category in the women’s 45kg category. She won a gold medal at the IWF World Youth Championship in 2024, setting a new world record with a 76kg lift. Priteesmita also earned silver medals at the Khelo India Youth Games and IWLF National Weightlifting Championships.
“I feel very happy that I got this award from the President and spoke to Prime Minister Modiji. The credit for my success goes to my family and my coach. I want to bring more laurels for the country and am ready to work hard to achieve my goal,” said Priteesmita, a class X student at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Dhenkanal.
Bhoi underwent training at the Odisha Weightlifting HPC in Dhenkanal under the guidance of her coach, Gopal Krushna Das. The young and promising sportswoman lost her father at a very young age. Her coach, Gopal Das, spotted Priteesmita and her elder sister as promising sports talents at a school sports meet and has been training her for the last four years. With Olympian Mirabai Chanu as her idol, Priteesmita has set her goal for no less than the Olympics.
“Priteesmita is very passionate about her sport and quite committed. She is very disciplined, hardworking, and always eager to learn. We are very hopeful that the girl will be ready to represent India in the 2032 Olympics,” said her coach, Gopal Das, who was with her at the award function on Thursday.
Prominent weightlifting coach K Ravi Kumar said, “She is a storehouse of talent, and we have high hopes for her. From 2025, the bodyweight categories are being revised, and Priteesmita will be prepared for representing India in the 48kg category.”
Along with Priteesmita, 16 other children, including seven boys and nine girls from 14 states and union territories, were conferred with the award as India celebrated Veer Bal Diwas on Thursday.