Martial arts loss has been weightlifting’s gain. Sound weird right. But had taekwondo coaches not rejected, weightlifter Charu Pesi would have never tried his hand at lifting a barbell for a sporting career.
The Arunachal Pradesh born weightlifter, who now represents his employer Services, is gearing up for his second successive National Games medal and says his preparations have been top notch.
“I am ready for the Goa National Games and after that I will focus on international events,” he said on the eve of the start of weightlifting competition in the 37th National Games at Campal Grounds.
Explaining how he ended becoming a lifter, Charu said he had to move to Itanagar from Chambang village for education purpose and faced bulling from other students.
“Friends often used to beat me for fun. To avoid this, I decided to learn Taekwondo as I was interested in sports like Karate and Taekwondo and joined a sports academy in Itanagar,” he said.
But the coaches rejected him and hence Charu decided to try his luck in weightlifting thanks to a suggesting from fitness instructor M K Pegu.
Charu won the first state silver medal in 2016 and won the gold a year later. He went on to win the 2019 Youth and Junior National Championships gold and hasn’t looked back since.
When asked how he prepares before the match, Charu said, “I never think about the result. I always focus on myself and try to give my best. Before the start of the match, I always keep repeating that I am the best and no one else, only I will win.”
