Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji, just 21, made history with a 140kg deadlift—more than three times her body weight—to claim silver at the 2026 IPF Junior World Championships. Competing in the 47kg category, her strength and skill should have been celebrated as a triumph for women in sport.
Instead, the spotlight triggered a wave of misogynistic abuse: sexual harassment, impersonation, casteist and ethnic attacks, and thousands of non-consensual AI-generated images that morph her face and body. Once again, a young woman’s achievement was twisted into digital violation and objectification.
Banerji refused to stay silent. Opening a new Instagram account to reclaim her voice, she stated: “As an Indian female athlete I’ve had to deal with sexual harassment online… and thousands of AI generated images… morphed in very disturbing ways.” Her message is clear and powerful: “I just want a space where I can exist as a girl who likes to deadlift.”
