Karnam Malleswari (born June 1, 1975, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh) is

anIndian weightlifter. During her career, spanning ten years, she has won 11 gold and three silver
medals besides the prestigious Olympic bronze. She has been the National Champion for nine years
(twice in the 52 kg category and
Early career
malleshwari participated in the 'National Junior weight lifting championship', and stood first. In 1992,
she participated in the Asian championship which took place in Thailand, and won three silver
medals. She also won three bronze medals in the world championship. She won a bronze medal in
the 2000 Summer Olympicsat Sydney lifting 110 kg in the Snatch and 130 kg in the Clean and
Jerk for a total of 240 kg, which made her the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.
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She is a
recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour for the year 1995-
1996. She is also a recipient of the civilian honour Padma Shri in 1999. Malleswari is awarded
the Arjuna Award in 1994, India's second highest award in sports.
In 1995, Malleswari won the world weightlifting title in her class (54 kg) with a new record, by lifting
113.0 kg in the clean and jerk. Malleswari, who went on to win the contest's gold medal, beat the
previous record of 112.5 kg set by China's Long Yuling in December 1993. She also won the 1995
Asian championship. She broke her own records in the Senior National Weightlifting Championship
in 1997, and India's first medal, a weightlifting silver, in the 1998 Asian Games.
.