Keyaa Banerji: Silver Medal Followed by Online Abuse

Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji should have been celebrating a major career achievement. Instead, her silver medal at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior & Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships was followed by a disturbing wave of online abuse.

Banerji won silver in the Junior Women’s 47kg deadlift event in Sun City, South Africa. She lifted 140kg, more than three times her body weight, to secure the medal for India.

However, the attention around her performance quickly took a darker turn.

Keyaa Banerji – World Championship Achievement

Keyaa Banerji delivered one of the biggest performances of her young career at the IPF Junior Worlds.

The 21-year-old lifted 140kg in the deadlift. She finished fifth overall in the Junior Women’s 47kg category. Her silver medal also highlighted her progress from her 2025 performance.

Her performance brought her increased attention on social media.

Unfortunately, that attention came with a disturbing cost.

Online Abuse Followed Her Viral Performance

As clips and posts of Banerji’s performance spread online, she soon faced a wave of unwanted attention.

Soon after, Keyaa spoke about receiving sexual harassment and abusive messages. She also revealed that people had created fake social media accounts using her identity.

More concerningly, artificial intelligence became part of the abuse. According to Banerji, thousands of AI-generated images were created using her face and body without her consent.

Instead of celebrating her achievement, Banerji found herself dealing with a deeply personal online ordeal.

AI Abuse Adds a New Threat for Women Athletes

Banerji’s experience also highlights a growing problem for women in sport.

In recent years, athletes have faced intense scrutiny on social media. However, AI tools have made it easier to manipulate images and create fake content without consent.

As a result, women athletes can lose control over how their images are used online.

Beyond criticism and unwanted comments, this type of abuse can have a much deeper impact. It can follow athletes long after they leave the competition arena.

“I Just Want to Exist as a Girl Who Likes to Deadlift”

Despite the abuse, Banerji has made her feelings clear.

For her, the focus remains on powerlifting and improving as an athlete. She has said that she simply wants to exist as a girl who enjoys deadlifting, rather than becoming the target of unwanted online attention.

At its core, her experience shows the difficult reality many women athletes face after gaining sudden visibility online.

For Keyaa Banerji, the barbell was never the problem. The attention around it was.

A Medal That Should Have Been the Story

Above all, Banerji’s 140kg deadlift should have been the headline.

Instead, her silver medal was overshadowed by a disturbing wave of online abuse. The reaction also exposed the darker side of social media and the growing misuse of AI.

Ultimately, her sporting achievement deserves to remain at the centre of the story.

She travelled to the IPF Junior Worlds to compete.

She stepped onto the platform and lifted 140kg.

She won a world silver medal.

Most importantly, that is the achievement that should be remembered.