Popy Hazarika

Some Lesser Known Facts About Popy Hazarika

• Popy Hazarika is an Indian weightlifter who has secured numerous medals in national and international competitions in the under 59 kg category.

• In her village during childhood, she participated in discus and javelin throw. In 2013, accompanied by her friend Dimpy Dutta, she visited a weightlifting training camp at Swahid Peoli Phukan College nearby. It was there that she met coach Duljit Boruah and began her weightlifting journey under his guidance.

  

• During her initial weightlifting training, she dedicated herself to rigorous practice for three hours in the morning and another three hours in the evening. With just a single set of equipment available for twelve youngsters, she persevered by training once the others had finished their sessions.

• Her mother took on various roles to support the family’s finances. She worked as a temporary cook at the village school, earning a monthly salary of Rs 2500 and engaged in occasional work in the rice fields, earning a daily wage of Rs 150-200.

  

• Commencing her training, Popy Hazarika had a weight of 35 kg. Swiftly, she began lifting nearly the same weight as her own body. In 2014, when she secured the gold medal in the district meet, her coach Duljit Baruah remarked,
  

  The main problem was lack of proper diet which hampered her weightlifting training initially. Even though there was only one set for training, she would train after the other kids left. When she became the district champion lifting 30 kg in snatch and 40 kg in clean and jerk, she kept the medal in her pocket to show it to her mother first.” ^[2]The Indian Express

  

• Having been chosen through a talent scouting initiative, she later joined the SAI Training Centre in Golaghat. There, under the guidance of coach Om Prakash Kalyani, she underwent training. Popy Hazarika clinched numerous medals in weightlifting contests.

  

• To manage expenses, she and her friend Dimpy Dutta would share items like balms, kits, and shoes while training at the SAI Training Centre in Golaghat, Assam. They also opted for train travel as a cost-saving measure.

  

• She later trained at the national camp in Delhi, she rapidly amassed numerous medals in senior-level competitions. The National Chief Coach, Vijeta Sharma, acknowledged her remarkable resilience and unwavering commitment and said that they were working to increase her weight in accordance with her height.

  

• In 2018, she came close to giving up weightlifting and considering a career with the Assam Police to provide for her family. She talked about that challenging period in an interview and said,
  

  Training kar kar ke thak gayi thi. Bus apni mother ke liye kuch karna chahti thi (I was tired training all the time. I wanted to do something for my mother). That’s why I seriously thought about giving the Assam Police recruitment a try before my friend Dimpi and coaches sat with me and made me think about my weightlifting career. I understood that it’s a long wait in any sport and if my mother can support four of us all these years, I could not leave weightlifting midway.” ^[3]The Indian Express

  

• On 18 December 2018, she established a national junior record in the 59 kg category for snatch-type lifting by raising 84 kg during the Junior Nationals held in Nagpur. On 4 February 2020, she achieved a national senior record in the same weight category by successfully lifting 94 kgs in snatch-type lifting at the Senior Nationals in Kolkata.

  

• Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, her coach Duljit Boruah extended support by sending her weightlifting equipment valued at Rs 53000, ensuring she could continue her training consistently.

• She secured the 17th position in the 59 kg category at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She achieved 7th place in the 59 kg category during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

  

• Upon securing a position in the Indian Railways in 2021, she celebrated by conducting a ceremony and organizing a village feast, incurring an expenditure of Rs 23000.

  

• Meeting her idol Mirabai Chanu at the national camp was a significant moment for her. They began training together, and she expressed her admiration for Mirabai in an interview and said,
  

  When I first came to the camp, it took me a few days to realise that I am getting the chance to train along with the likes of Mira didi. Seeing her practise with so much dedication motivates me and I observe her technique closely.”

• She has a fondness for dogs and has a pet dog.