VIJAYAWADA: For 17-year-old Bollu Likitha, a trip to the gym that began as a fitness routine eventually turned into a journey to the Commonwealth podium. A few years ago, she and her sister joined a gym to lose weight and get fitter. Likitha, who hailed from Guntur, had no idea then that she would take up a sport that would change the direction of her life.
At the gym, she watched senior athletes training for weightlifting competitions. Their lifts caught her attention, and soon she wanted to compete too.
She approached her coach and expressed her desire to compete. Her sister eventually stopped going to the gym, but Likitha continued.
Her mother, Chaitanya, was initially unsure about the idea. “I told her, ‘No, how will you manage it? It is a hard sport.’ But she was persistent. She told me, ‘I can do it.’ When I saw that confidence in her, I said yes,” Chaitanya said.
Likitha’s first competition gave that confidence its reward. She won medals and found herself wanting to see what she could do next.
“That was my fire to continue the sport. I knew there was no going back,” she said.
After which the 76-kg sub-junior went on to win gold at four Andhra Pradesh State Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships in 2025 and 2026. She followed those victories with a bronze at the National Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championship and silver at the National Equipped Powerlifting Championship in Hyderabad.
Then came the Commonwealth Equipped Powerlifting Championship in Canada. Likitha won gold in the 76-kg sub-junior category, finishing first in the squat, bench press and deadlift. She also became the Commonwealth sub-junior deadlift record holder.
But the achievement was about more than adding another medal to her collection. “I wanted to do something different. I had tried other sports, but nothing felt like powerlifting. I knew that was my calling and I wanted to challenge myself,” she said.
Powerlifting also made her rethink what she wanted from her future. Likitha had once wanted to become a veterinary doctor, but as competitive sport became a bigger part of her life, she realised she wanted to pursue powerlifting as far as she could.
“I still give importance to my studies, but I want to go as far as I can, take part in more international competitions and make a mark for myself and my country,” she said.
The Commonwealth title was particularly meaningful because it came after an earlier international competition where she didn’t won. “Last time I couldn’t win the internationals. This time, when I got the opportunity again, I worked twice as hard,” she said.
“While I wasn’t fully sure how my daughter would manage it, when I saw her on TV performing in Canada, my heart was full of pride and joy for my daughter.
I’m a single parent. I didn’t have much financial support. But seeing my daughter give it her all, I also gave my all. And I’m glad she made it happen,” Chaitanya said.
“No matter what, I have to give my best. I set my mind and make sure I do it,” she said. She saw her biggest competition as herself. Around her, meanwhile, were coaches, friends and family who had continued to tell her she could do it.
Her friends celebrated with her after the Commonwealth victory, something she said made the achievement even more special.
“No one told me I cannot do it. Everyone told me I can and I will. That helped me strengthen my game,” she said.
For Likitha, the Commonwealth gold is not where the story ends. She wants to compete internationally again, improve further and make her mark for India. She also hopes young athletes in powerlifting receive more financial support, as the cost of competing internationally remains a challenge.
Two years ago, she walked into a gym with her sister simply to get fitter. Today, she has a Commonwealth gold medal and a record to her name.