In late November, when most visitors land in Pattaya, Thailand, seeking sun and sea, Aditi Nandy will arrive with a very different purpose. Representing India as the only lifter from West Bengal at the UWSFF World Championship Pro Powerlifting, she will compete under the name ‘Aaditi ND’ in the Master 1, under 52 kg category.
“I’ve just hit 40,” she laughed, almost amused that her sporting life has only just begun. “I started powerlifting when most people have left the sport or settled into a very regular life. But this is what I am doing. I took this up.”
Starting late, lifting big
Aditi started powerlifting during the Covid period
The adventure streak had always been present. Growing up, Aditi was drawn to anything unusual. “I have always been interested in sports or something adventurous, something that was not very regular,” she said. Trekking, a bit of mountaineering, anything that pushed her outdoors.
Strength training, however, arrived much later during Covid. “I had put on a lot of weight,” she said, explaining how she began lifting to lose it. A trainer introduced her to deadlifts and squats. “I had no idea what powerlifting was,” she said. “It was just strength training, I had no thought of competitions.”
Then came a newspaper ad for district level powerlifting trials. Curious, she asked a friend what the sport involved. “He said powerlifting consists of squat, bench and deadlift,” she recalled. “Everyone kept saying my deadlift was good, so I thought, why not try?”
She missed the official trial, but the organiser allowed her to send a video to the national jury. They approved. Her family, she said, “had no idea where I was going or what powerlifting was.”
The nationals in Surat were overwhelming. Two men and one woman represented West Bengal. The two men, seeing the scale of competition, left. “They fled,” she said. “I was the only one left.”
Weighing around 45kg and competing without a coach, she lifted about 70kg and won silver. “That lift changed something in me,” she said.
The coach who saw her hunger
Aditi with her coach Jason Martin
To grow in the sport, she needed structure. “My friends and family said that if I really wanted to take it seriously, I should sign up with a coach,” she said.
She refused to settle for a generic gym trainer. “All trainers are not coaches,” she said firmly. She almost joined with an online coach before realising she needed someone in person.
Jason Martin, a Kolkata-based powerlifting champion, met her with minimal conversation. “He said he just wanted my national video and my goal,” she recalled. After watching, he quoted a fee far beyond her budget, but then reconsidered.
“He said, ‘I saw hunger in you. At this age, when girls like to party, you picked a niche sport.’” Jason took her on, training only natural athletes. “We were only two natural lifters in his campus,” she said.
He tailors programmes to her strength levels, work timings and weaknesses. “He understands when I am mentally fatigued,” she said. “He calls me champ.”
A full day of work and a second shift in the gym
After a long shift at work, Aditi trains every night before going home
Away from lifting, Aditi holds a senior role at SPML Infra Limited. “I leave home at 9am, clock in at 10 and then it's a long shift,” she said. “Meetings, one on ones, hiring, development programmes. It is mentally draining.”
Her real day began when others wound down. “By the time people are drained, I start my day,” she said. From the office, she goes straight to training, reaching home by 9.45pm.
Her company has stood firmly behind her, and even reimbursed her Asia Championship costs. “They have always been forthright that if I need help, they are with me,” she said.
From sceptics to cheerleaders
Aditi’s laurels haven’t just gotten her fame, but has even got her entire family in her corner
Her family had initially been unsure. “In India, most people know cricket, football, badminton,” she said. “Powerlifting, no one understands.”
The turning point came when The Telegraph carried her first profile. “My mother was told her daughter was in the newspaper,” Aditi recalled. “She was so happy I was there for the right reason.”
The support eventually solidified. “The entire family, my partner, in-laws, everyone became a rock,” she said.
Her drive also stems from losing her father early. “I felt like I had already hit rock bottom,” she said. “If I could come out of that, I can face anything.”
Setbacks, silver medals and the weight of expectation
Before one national meet, she was injured in a road accident. Recovery left her little time to train. “I’ve had my bad days,” she said. “I sulked and stumbled. But my family and friends pushed me.”
Her Asia Championship was even tougher. Family rituals, flight delays and dehydration left her struggling. “I thought I could not compete,” she said. She still won a silver, but felt disappointed. “I had given it 110 per cent,” she said.
Jason coaxed her back, urging her to forget the result.
Funding her own future
Aditi hopes that there will be sponsorship in Indian powerlifting some day
Powerlifting in India remains a self-funded pursuit. “Travel, tickets, hotels, equipment — I pay for everything,” she said. Sponsorship is rare and doping in the sport adds another challenge. “Natural athletes like us obviously lift less,” she said. “There should be strict doping checks.” In spite of winning multiple medals for Bengal at the national level, she is yet to get any recognition or support from the government.
Her personal bests stand at 85kg squat, 47.5kg bench and a 110 to 112kg deadlift.
“I want to be the winner,” she said, looking ahead to Pattaya. “I want to see the Tricolour fly high.”
She plans to compete well into her fifties. “I love powerlifting,” she said. “I want to stick to it as long as my body allows it.”
