Jaipur: A gold-medallist female power-lifter in the Junior National Games died when a 270-kg rod fell on her neck during practice in Rajasthan‘s Bikaner district, police said on Wednesday, February 19.
Female power-lifter Yashtika Acharya, 17, died while practising in the gym. The neck of the gold medallist player broke when a 270-kg rod fell on her on Tuesday, Naya Shahar SHO Vikram Tiwari said.
He said immediately after the accident, she was taken to the hospital where doctors declared her dead.
Tiwari said the accident happened when the trainer was making Yashtika lift weights in the gym. The trainer also suffered minor injuries in the tragedy.
The SHO said the family has not registered any case in this regard. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family on Wednesday.
Yashtika won the gold medal in the National Bench Press Championship in Goa in October last year in the Sub Junior 84 kg and above category.
Power-lifting sport
Power-lifting is a competitive strength sport in which an athlete tries to lift maximum weight on three lifts — squat, bench press and deadlift.
In a squat, the bar loaded with weights rests on the lifter’s shoulders at the back of the head. The lifter bends her or his knees drops into a squatting position and then ascends back to an erect position.
In bench press, the power-lifter first rests on the bench with her or his face upwards and back down. She/he takes the loaded bar at arm’s length and lowers the bar to the chest. When the bar touches the chest, it is pulled up.
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