While majority of world thinks of early retirement at 50, a senior woman bureaucrat in Delhi has proven that when it comes to fitness, age is just a number and you can continue to be on the top with hard work and dedication. Meet Ekta Vishnoi, Deputy Director General at Sports Authority of India (SAI) and woman behind the now well established Fit India Movement. While she is has already made in the world of fitness, she is now making even bigger waves in the world of Powerlifting having won multiple medals and broken records at the recently concluded National Senior Powerlifting Championship in Hyderabad.
At 50, Vishnoi competed with girls half her age and won a Silver in deadlift with best lift of 165kg and a Bronze overall with best lifts of 132.5 kg in squat, 70 kg in bench press and 165 kg in deadlift. With these lifts, she also broke all records of Master 2 category in the competition.
Earlier, Vishnoi had also won the gold medal in national masters powerlifting championship and a gold and a silver medal in Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship and Asian Powerlifting Championship, 2022. For her feat she was also awarded a certificate of honor by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in 2023.
What is more, she is not making waves as an athlete, but also a administrator. An Indian Revenue Service officer of the 1999 batch, Vishnoi is currently serving as the Mission Director of Fit India Movement, a Government of India initiative to make India a fit and healthy nation, and heading the prestigious Khelo India Scheme, Vishnoi is working towards making India a sporting nation where every citizen is fit.
Her aim now is to represent India and win medals at the World Masters Powerlifting Championship which will take place in South Africa in October this year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)