Viral 140kg deadlift: Who is 21-year-old Keyaa Kunal Banerji who lifted more than three times her bodyweight for World Championship silver?

21-year-old Keyaa Banerji (Image source: A viral video of a young Indian woman pulling an extraordinary weight off the floor has catapulted powerlifting into the Indian sporting conversation, with 21-year-old Keyaa Kunal Banerji emerging as the unlikely face of the buzz.Banerji’s stunning 140kg deadlift at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa attracted attention not only because it won her a silver medal, but also because the lift was more than three times her competition body weight of 45.70kg.Social media users shared clips of the lift as they congratulated Banerji, with reactions ranging from admiration for her strength to comments about her looks. More importantly, several users celebrated the fact that the powerlifting success had created a major sports discussion in India.

Who is Keya Kunal Banerji?

Banerji is a 21-year-old Indian powerlifter competing in the junior 47 kg category. Her breakthrough performance came in an area where every kilogram counts, with her 45.70kg body weight making her deadlift range particularly remarkable.She finished the championships with a total weight of 280 kg, which included a squat of 90 kg, a bench press of 50 kg and a deadlift of 140 kg.While she finished fifth overall in the junior women’s 47 kg category, Banerji’s greatest success was in the individual deadlift. Her performance of 140kg moved her into second place behind France’s Ines Herbaux who lifted 165kg.Ireland’s Blathnaid O’Dwyer also lifted 140 kg, but Banerji finished ahead of her in the deadlift order to win the silver medal.The result marks a significant improvement on Banerji’s numbers over the past year. At the 2025 National Championships, she squatted 82.5kg, benched 47.5kg and deadlifted 127.5kg for a total of 257.5kg.Her progress continued at the 2026 National Championships where she squatted 95kg, benched 52.5kg and deadlifted 140kg for a total of 287.5kg.The 140kg deadlift in South Africa was therefore not an isolated achievement. It was the latest step in a rapidly improving career.

Banerji was not the only outstanding performer in India – Madhura Kar won four golds

While Banerji’s viral cheer created the most buzz on social media, India produced some remarkable performances at the championship.The standout was Madhura Kar, a young powerlifter from Jalpaiguri, who put up a remarkable performance with four gold medals in the sub-junior women’s 52kg category.Weighing in at 49.35kg, Kar lifted 107.5kg in the squat, 60kg in the bench press and 125kg in the deadlift to finish with a total of 292.5kg. She won gold in all four disciplines.Her achievement is particularly remarkable given her age. A Class XII student from Jalpaiguri, Kar has already established herself at the national level, winning the 2024 National Powerlifting Championship and retaining the title in 2025.She also won the National Bench Press Championship in Faridabad this year.Earlier in 2026, Kar finished second overall to win silver for India at the Asian Powerlifting Championships in China. Her haul of four golds in South Africa has now added another major achievement to her fast-growing resume.

Asma finished sixth in the 84+kg category

India’s third best competitor Asma Taherali Zabuawala competed in the Sub-junior Women’s 84+kg category.Zabuawala finished sixth overall after registering a 132.5kg squat, 75kg bench press and 165kg deadlift, giving her a total of 372.5kg.The three performances underscore the breadth of India’s participation in the championships — from the lighter weight divisions, where Banerji’s remarkable strength-to-body ratio has become a major theme, to the heavier divisions.

Why Banerji’s lift resonated

Powerlifting rarely gets the mainstream attention that cricket, football, badminton or athletics enjoy in India. However, Banerji’s viral rise provided an instantly relatable sporting moment: a 45.70kg athlete successfully deadlifting 140kg on the World Championship stage.The numbers tell the story. Her deadlift was 3.06 times her body weight, while her total of 280 kg was more than six times her competition body weight.And that may be why the video has transcended the traditional powerlifting audience.Banerji’s silver medal gave Indian powerlifting a rare viral moment, while Kar’s haul of four golds and Zabuawala’s sixth place quietly added to India’s strong showing in South Africa.