Meet the Mumbai teens setting records and breaking stereotypes in powerlifting

Last month, Kasha Nia Sachdev (15) and Noa Sara Eappen (13) smashed records at the World Powerlifting Championship in Kyrgyzstan, picking up two golds each.

The Mumbai teens, students of BD Somani International School, demonstrated their strength and skills in “full powerlifting” comprising three categories–Squat, Bench, and Deadlift, and “single events” that consisted of Deadlift and Bench Press.

“Ever since I started competing, my goal was to represent India. It all seems like a dream to me now. It seemed out of reach, but now that I’ve achieved it, I am still surprised,” Sachdev tells HerStory.

Eappen, who is holidaying in Dubai, seems both excited and thrilled with the victory. “I don’t have words to describe how amazing it felt to hold the Indian flag. I felt that all those hours in the gym, waking up at 5 am, and missing plans with friends, had paid off. It’s all worth it in the end,” she says.

Interestingly, it was Sachdev’s foray into powerlifting that led to Eappen’s entry into the sport. Her father, Nicholai Sachdev, a competitive power lifter himself, began taking her to the gym when she was just 8-9 years-old to aid her recovery from surgeries to treat genu valgum (knock knees).

“After intensive physiotherapy sessions, my dad, on research, decided it would be a good idea to hit the gym for some strength training. I saw the change—in body composition, height, and most importantly, confidence that had been severely impacted. My dad and I figured it would be a good idea to start powerlifting,” she says.

The reactions were severe. Nicholai received a lot of criticism from other people frequenting the gym for training Kasha. As she grew older, Sachdev faced other stereotypes, comments like she would become “manly” if she continued to lift weights would often be thrown about. Also, there still exists a notion that powerlifting is not a sport for women.

Sisters-in-arms

Fortunately, she says achieving her goals and the success that has come her way have managed to steer support from other quarters in her direction—from her parents, school, and friends.

While Sachdev was training at the gym with her father, she met Eappen, who was two grades behind her at school. Both didn’t know each other until then, but training at the gym changed that.

Eappen, who was just 10-years-old at the time, accompanied her fitness enthusiast mother to the gym for some regular workouts. Soon, the two young girls would start spending time with each other, chit-chatting, and catching up at school.

When Nicholai suggest he train her along with Sachdev in powerlifting, she decided to give it a try.

“I had never heard of the sport before and was excited. I started lifting with a plastic rod to get the movements right for the deadlift and would use a pipe for squats and bench lifts. It started off slowly, and Nicholai was careful when it came to our safety,” Eappen says.

Sachdev, who had wanted to compete since she turned 13, had to wait until 2020 to participate in her first competition, the Pro League State Championship in Bengaluru in 2020 when she won the gold in all three categories (Under-16).

The World Powerlifting Congress in the same city in 2021 saw Eappen, all of 11, and Sachdev winning gold in all categories.

This year saw the duo win golds at the Pro League–Maharashtra, the Pro League World Championship in Bengaluru, and finally, the record-breaking wins at the World Powerlifting Championship in Kyrgyzstan.

Here, Sachdev won golds and set world records in the under 75 kg category in full powerlifting event, Squat, Bench and Deadlift and Deadlift and Bench press in the single event. Eappen also won golds and broke records in the under 60 kg category in full powerlifting event, Squat, Bench and Deadlift and Deadlift and Bench press in single events.

Sachdev stands at a strong 6.0’, bench presses close to 40 kilos, squats over her body

weight, and deadlifts close to twice her body weight with ease. Eappen is just 5.2’ in height, and at 13, already has a world in deadlift (98.5 kg).

The girls train five times a week, and start at 6 am on weekdays, after which they head straight to school. During the weekend, they travel to Mulund (a suburb) where they have access to more equipment.

“We would squat, bench, or deadlift and bench. We do a lot of hypertrophies to strengthen our smaller muscles. I keep alternating on what I feel I was stronger at–squat and then bench, or deadlift in and then bench,” says Eappen.

The girls train, hit the gym, rehab and the swimming pool together–so much so that they think of each other as sisters.

“Without Kasha, I don’t think I would have been able to come this far. She has helped me through my low bouts of self-confidence and pushed me to do my best,” says Eappen.

“In the past two years, we have become like sisters. The three of us, Noa, Nicholai, and I are one happy family,” Sachdev says.

Eappen wants to transition from powerlifting to weightlifting so that she can compete in the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games. She believes there’s not much more to do in powerlifting. The same goes for Sachdev who wants to try another “strength sport” to be able to participate internationally.