New Delhi, October 14
Nitya Deswal, who bagged a silver medal in the Zdathlon - A power Show after overcoming challenges, opened up about her inspiring journey of defying the odds by overcoming an injury setback.
At the Indirapuram Habitat Centre on Sunday, Nitya, who is pursuing powerlifting as a passion, won silver medal. She achieved the feat after undergoing an underarm surgery six months ago.
While dealing with the setback, Nitya found herself striving hard to cope with the injury after enjoying a purple patch that came at her peak.
"So it was a big setback for me because, before surgery, I was lifting well. I was at my peak. But after that, my physical strength went down, and it affected me mentally as well. When you know you can lift a certain amount of weight but you are unable to do it, it affects you a lot," Nitya told ANI.
During this phase, Nitya's coach, Rishabh Rathore, offered her a peice of advice that sparked inspiration and rekindled the source of motivation inside her on the road to recovery.
"I sat with my coach, and he said when you are doing well, it is easy to stay motivated, but when you face setbacks, how you tackle and overcome them will separate you and make you a different athlete," she added.
In her comeback tournament, Nitya took on the odds and successfully lifted 127.5 kg to secure a silver around her neck.
Nitya tried to go for 132kg in her final attempt, which she eventually struggled to pull off. Her competitor, who ended at the summit, was miles ahead of her. Nitya is now inspired to set a new benchmark by setting the new standard as 180kg.
"It was quite surprising to see the number of women athletes participating in the tournament. My mindset was to compete after recovering from surgery. I was struggling with a fever last week. So I wanted to give my 110 per cent. My goal is to cross 170kg or 180kh," she remarked.
During her journey, her parents, Arunjit (father) and Divya (mother) have backed her to continue with a hobby that Nitya describes as "unconventional."
"Grateful to my mother for supporting a rather unconventional hobby and my father for taking care of all things nutrition," she said.