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Digital Desk: Who is Harjinder Kaur? This question is in the mind of every Indian today. The reason is his excellent performance in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026. Harjinder Kaur won the silver medal for India in the women’s 69 kg weight category by lifting a total of 227 kg (101 kg snatch + 126 kg clean and jerk). This medal shining around his neck is not just a sporting achievement, but a victory of years of struggle, hard work and courage.

The journey of becoming a champion started from the fields

Harjinder Kaur, born on 14 October 1996 in Mehs village near Nabha, Punjab, belongs to an ordinary farmer family. His father Sahib Singh was the only earning member of the family. Since childhood, amidst limited financial resources, Harjinder helped his father in the fields. After returning from school, most of his time was spent in farming and cutting fodder for animals.

It was not easy to cut fodder with the hand-operated ‘Toka’ machine in the village. This hard work gave extraordinary strength to his arms and shoulders, which later proved to be his biggest asset in weightlifting.

Journey from Kabaddi to weightlifting

Harjinder’s first love was not weightlifting but Kabaddi. She used to cycle many kilometers to practice. During college he also participated in tug of war. During this time, Punjab’s former Commonwealth champion and coach Paramjit Sharma noticed his strength.

The coach advised him to take up weightlifting. Initially, Harjinder was not ready for this sport, but after continuous inspiration, she started weightlifting in 2016 and this decision became the biggest turning point in her life.

When I had only Rs 700 in my pocket

Financial constraints were the biggest challenge in the early days of the game. Harjinder had told in an interview that his father Used to pay Rs 350 for traveling expenses and Rs 350 for pocket money. She understood the family’s situation and was hesitant in asking for extra money.

The family continued his training even by taking loans several times. When training centers were closed during the Corona pandemic, coach Paramjit Sharma made arrangements for him to stay in his house so that his practice was not affected.

The hard work of cutting fodder became the biggest strength.

Harjinder has said many times that cutting fodder in the fields increased the strength of her arms. He believes that the same hard work in the village became his biggest strength on the international stage.

Second consecutive medal in Commonwealth Games

In Birmingham 2022, Harjinder made India proud for the first time in the Commonwealth Games by winning the bronze medal in the 71 kg category.

Four years later, he improved his performance further at Glasgow 2026. He made the Games record twice by lifting 99 and 101 kg in snatch. After this, he successfully lifted 123 and 126 kg in clean and jerk and won the silver medal with a total of 227 kg.

Although Charlotte Simoneau of Canada won the gold medal by lifting a total weight of 240 kg, Harjinder’s silver proved to be a very important achievement for India.

Inspiration to millions of daughters today

Harjinder Kaur’s story is not just the success of one player. This is an example of the struggle in which, despite limited resources, one can reach the world stage on the basis of hard work, patience and dedication. This daughter who used to harvest fodder in the fields has today become an inspiration for crores of Indians.

Major achievements of Harjinder Kaur

• Commonwealth Games 2026 (Glasgow) – Silver medal in 69 kg category
• Commonwealth Games 2022 (Birmingham) – Bronze medal in 71 kg category
• Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2025 – Bronze Medal
• Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 – Silver Medal
• Asian Weightlifting Championships 2026 (Snatch) – Bronze Medal
• Multiple time national champion and national record holder weightlifter