Meet Birendra Sabar: The Weightlifting Champion Overcoming Adversity

A Journey of Resilience and Determination

Gudari: Birendra Sabar, a 30-year-old weightlifter from Kadama village in Rayagada district, has achieved remarkable success by winning gold medals in national competitions held in Delhi and Kolkata. However, he continues to face significant financial struggles as he awaits government assistance to further his athletic career.

With a major weightlifting tournament scheduled in Haryana this November, Birendra's path has been fraught with personal loss and economic challenges. He lost his father during his childhood, his mother passed away last year, and his only brother died in 2022. His two sisters are married and live separately.

After completing his matriculation at Chandrapur High School in 2012, he enrolled in the commerce program at Rayagada College but had to drop out after the first year due to financial constraints preventing him from paying his second-year exam fees.

To support himself, Birendra operates a small photocopy shop in Ambaguda, Rayagada. Despite these hardships, he remains dedicated to his weightlifting training at Shaheed Laxman Gym under the guidance of his coach, Dora Kandagiri. He has accumulated numerous medals from competitions outside Odisha over the years.

Birendra dreams of representing India in the Asian Games and the Olympics. He expressed, "If I receive financial support from the government or a private entity, I will continue my training and strive for international competitions."

Previously, he had submitted a formal request for assistance to the then-Rayagada Collector, Swadha Dev Singh, during a grievance redressal camp at the Gudari block office. The collector assured him of support and encouraged his commitment to training.

Suchismita Behera, the Gudari Block Development Officer, mentioned that she would liaise with district sports officials to ensure appropriate measures are taken.

Prasanna Kumar Padhi, the Executive Officer of Gudari NAC, stated that while there is no direct support available from the civic body, he would recommend Birendra for a coaching role at a local gym through the district sports officer.

Gunupur MLA Satyajeet Goman expressed his dedication to supporting talented individuals from his constituency, stating, "I will take necessary steps to assist Birendra in his journey as a professional athlete and will escalate the matter to higher authorities if required."

PNN