Without any support and coach Powerlifter Aditi Nandy won silver in her maiden National Championship

By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 31 : Powerlifter Aditi Nandy of Bengal won a silver medal in the 48-52 Kg bodyweight category at the National Powerlifting Championship held at the Din Dayal Indoor Stadium in Surat earlier this month.
"In the last four years I have been doing a lot of strength training, weight training and all that but not exactly Powerlifting. For the last six months, I have been in this arena. I initially never had a coach. It was all by myself and my friends who were into gyming and fitness. They used to help me and give me tips and everything but after winning a medal in nationals and after qualifying for the Nationals that was such a big challenge for me in my bodyweight category," said Powerlifter Aditi Nandy while speaking to ANI.
She further said, "I was like I have it in me I can try it. I wanted to go for the Nationals, I competed with 26 other states of the country. It was really overwhelming for me. I brought glory to Bengal and this is the reason now I am going professionally and I am having a coach now. All I aim for right now is gold and next year's World Championship. This National was without any coach. All my gym friends who have helped me but never had a coach."
A technical and strength sport like Powerlifting requires good guidance as well as a good diet and all of that is expensive but as of now, the Bengal Powerlifter is managing all by herself.
"Right now I have been managing all by myself but going forward it is difficult because it has a lot of costs. My coach, food, travel cost everything. It takes a lot of money. It comes with a lot of things. Powerlifting is a new sport in the country. People are now learning about it. It is getting more exposure now but we do not have much support at that. I would rather request the federations to come out and help these athletes who are playing this kind of sport that will be really encouraging," said Nandy.
Participating in her very first appearance, the 32-year-old, representing Bengal participated in an unequipped deadlift in the 48-52kg bodyweight category and lifted 80kg to finish second among 300 participants.
"It was all like crazy but till the time I reached Surat, I just did not understand that it was going to be that big. When I entered that zone when I saw 28 state people and there were the total number of participants was 300 to 350. And I was competing with Punjab, Haryana, Kashmir, Arunachal, and all the states. It was crazy for me. So, I was like I wouldn't win anything but it will be a learning experience for me. But then it was amazing when my name was called up and I was standing on the podium. It was altogether a different feeling," explained Nandy.
Aditi Nandi is also a student of IIM (Calcutta) and is working in a public limited company despite all of that she takes her time out for training and workout.
"After the working schedule that I have. I am already working in a company and I am also a student who is finishing my executive MBA from IIM Calcutta. So, you know it's a lot of things to do and I have my training in the evening and by then I am mentally drained so food is very important for me. Especially in powerlifting, you eat a lot of protein. You eat a lot of good carbs. So, that is something very important to keep my food in check that is super important for me. So, I am always hydrated. I am always in my proper protein and carbs and everything and my coach and my family have been very supportive about everything," she said.
The Bengal girl's next goal is a gold medal in the next powerlifting nationals in July and after that, she will prepare for World Championship.
"Just one tournament at a time. I have two Nationals coming up in July and one in September. The official calendar is not yet out but there is one July that is for the bench press and deadlift. I am aiming gold for that," said Nandy.
Aditi Nandy went to compete in National Powerlifting Championship without the guidance of any professional coach and hence she was unaware of a lot of things but now she has a coach Jason Martin to train her and give her the right guidance.
"Honestly I never had the idea of how to go for a bodyweight check-up. When you go for Powerlifting the first is your body weight check. So, you go for a particular bodyweight category. You know what to wear as you wear a tight bodysuit so your weight becomes exactly what you weigh. For the first time in Nationals, I wore denim which was pretty heavy and my body weight went up. So, I actually played in a higher category in my body weight. This was a learning experience for me. So, maybe next time I can help somebody who is going for the first time, and for my side, I am prepared now and now I have a professional coach Jason Martin who is coaching me for the next nationals and the upcoming tournaments. So, I am prepping for it again I would say that I don't like to get into this momentary win. I want to be rooted I am just working hard as an athlete and bringing more glory to Bengal. That is my ultimate motto. I am happy about it but don't want to get it into my head," explained Nandy.
For any athlete to pick up a sport at the age of 32 shows the players' dedication and a never say die attitude and winning at such an age she has proved that age is just a number.
"I have been in this fitness industry for quite a long time. Now like for 4-5 years I have been into fitness. I think age is just a number. It is a myth that the clock is ticking. If you really have time to pick up something then you can pick it up at any given point in time," she added.