Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji has condemned the online harassment and rampant sexualisation she experienced following her silver medal victory at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior & Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa.
Competing in the Junior Women's 47kg category, the 21-year-old lifted an extraordinary 140kg in the deadlift, more than three times her competition bodyweight of 45.70kg. She also recorded a 90kg squat and a 50kg bench press, accumulating a 280kg total to finish fifth overall, whilst placing second in the individual deadlift behind France’s Ines Herbaux.
Despite her historic sporting achievement, Banerji faced a barrage of misogynistic abuse on social media, including impersonation accounts, hate speech targeting her lineage, and thousands of unauthorised AI-generated manipulated images.
Addressing the ordeal, the Ashoka University psychology graduate described the treatment as "sexism at its finest," noting that male athletes rarely face such scrutiny over their appearance after major sporting triumphs. Although her original private account was suspended amidst online trolling, Banerji remains focused on her athletic trajectory, aiming to break the 147.5kg Asian deadlift record in future international competitions.