Before the Gold, There Were Gas Cylinders: The Strength That Carried Maibam Gulubi

Before Maibam Gulubi had an international gold medal to bring home, she had gas cylinders to lift and a father whose enthusiasm for weightlifting was finding its way into his daughter’s life.

“In my early days, I would lift gas cylinders and heavy weights,” the Manipur powerlifter told ANI on Saturday.

It is an ordinary household object to find at the beginning of a sporting journey. In Gulubi’s recollection, it belongs alongside a childhood interest, local sporting events and people who noticed something in her strength.

Years later, that interest has brought her to an international podium. Gulubi won gold for India in the junior women’s 57-kg category at the 2026 Asian Classic and Equipped Bench Press Championships, held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from September 21 to 27.

Back home, asked about the journey, she spoke about her father, her coaches and her sisters. The medal came with a long list of people to thank.

A FATHER’S PASSION, A DAUGHTER’S BEGINNING

“My father was an avid weightlifter, and from a young age, I developed a keen interest in the sport,” Gulubi said.

Her introduction to lifting began well before she took up powerlifting two years ago. As a child, she participated in local sporting events, where her performances drew encouragement from seniors in the community.

“Observing my performance, local seniors encouraged me to pursue weightlifting professionally,” she recalled.

That encouragement gave her childhood interest somewhere to go. People who had watched her compete urged her to take it further; the enthusiasm she had seen in her father became something she could pursue for herself.

“My father’s enthusiasm for weightlifting and my own interest since childhood aligned with my discipline,” she said.

Gulubi describes her progress with quiet directness: “I began playing powerlifting two years ago, and I have progressed significantly.”

The gold in Istanbul gives those words their measure.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE LIFT

When Gulubi spoke about the people who had helped her, she named them carefully.

There were her parents and family. Her coaches, Sir Inao and Madam Sushila. Her elder sisters, Rojita and Annu. Friends, colleagues, local elders, her uncle and aunt.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to my parents, family, coaches, Sir Inao, Madam Sushila, my elder sisters Rojita and Annu, my friends, colleagues and local elders, including my uncle and aunt, who have provided me with love and care,” she said.

“Love and care” is a tender description of the support behind a sport measured in weight. It is also how Gulubi chose to explain her progress. Alongside her discipline, she remembers the people who encouraged her interest and stayed part of her journey.

Her account moves easily between the sporting and the personal: a father who loved lifting, elders who recognised ability, coaches who helped her develop, sisters and relatives she wanted to thank when the medal was hers.

GOLD COMES HOME TO MANIPUR

After returning to India, Gulubi met Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh at the Secretariat in Mantripukhri.

Congratulating her, Singh said the achievement had brought pride to both the state and the country.

“May she continue to reach greater heights and inspire our young athletes,” he wrote on X.

For the young lifter, the continental title is a significant milestone just two years into powerlifting. For those who first watched her at local sporting events, it offers a distant, larger stage on which to recognise the ability they once encouraged.

Gulubi’s story now includes Istanbul, an Indian representation and an Asian gold medal. But when she tells it, she still goes back to the gas cylinders, her father’s enthusiasm and the people at home.

She has a gold medal to her name. In telling the story of how she won it, she makes room for theirs.

With inputs from ANI