Odisha weightlifters Harsabardhan Sahu and Jyoshna Sabar made the State proud by winning gold medals in respective weight categories on the seventh day of the 7th Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Rajgir, Bihar today. Ten days ago, both the lifters bagged bronze medals at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Lima, Peru.

Harsabardhan clinched the gold in youth men 49kg category with a total lift of 203kg. He lifted 88kg in snatch and 115kg in clean & jerk. The 16-year-old lifter from Ganjam district also broke the Youth National Records in clean & jerk as well as in total.

Harsabardhan erased the previous records held by Jharkhand lifter Babulal Hembram, who had achieved the feat with efforts of 114kg in clean & jerk and 202kg in total. Now a trainee of Army Sports Institute in Pune, Harsabardhan will be celebrating his birthday on May 22.

Jyoshna Sabar claimed the gold medal in youth women 40kg weight class with a total lift of 122kg, which included 55kg in snatch and 67kg in clean & jerk. Jyoshna belongs to Gajapati district and trains at the Odisha-Tenvic Weightlifting High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
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PHOTO: Odisha lifters Harsabardhan Sahu (Left) and Jyoshna Sabar display their gold medals at the 7th Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Rajgir, Bihar on 10 May 2025.