Back in 2016, when Punjab’s Harjinder Kaur decided to switch from kabaddi to weightlifting, she banked on her strong arms developed by cutting fodder on the toka (a chaff cutting machine) that demands harsh labour to operate the giant wheel with blades.

Hailing from Nabha in Punjab’s Patiala district, Harjinder made the switch after being spotted by a weightlifting coach at one of the state-level competitions, where she was along with her kabaddi team.

“Initially it (the switch) was a bit difficult, as you need to learn the technicalities of the sport from scratch, and it takes time to gather yourself mentally before getting into training mode. Weightlifting needs more of shoulder strength and in kabaddi, its more dependent on swift and agility, so that was one massive difference, which took me some time to get used,” Harjinder told The Statesman, immediately after winning the gold in the women’s 71kg at the 37th National Games in Goa.

Counting on the positives of the switch, Harjinder said unlike in team sport, in weightlifting it solely depends on her performance to deliver the goods.

Born to a family of farmers, Harjinder is one of the three siblings, and started off with track and field activities in school, before choosing kabaddi for a while, and eventually settling for weightlifting. Her liking for weightlifting developed gradually once she started winning at local level, and then at national competitions. before making her mark.

However, it was the bronze medal win at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games that instilled a sense of belief in the 27-year-old.

A couple of months after the CWG, Harjinder reached Ahmedabad to compete at the 36th National Games, her career’s first and returned with a bronze medal. The bronze left her somewhat dejected but at the same time challenged her to turn things around in the next year.

Cut to January this year, Harjinder roared back in style with a new record in clean & jerk (123kg) for a total of 214 kg to bag the senior women’s 71 kg gold in the National championships held in Nagercoil. She retained the momentum with a gold in the Commonwealth championships held in Noida.

On Friday, Harjinder had the momentum by her side but all she needed was the motivation and the push, something which she had been toiling over the years, be it for a permanent job or in the form of sponsorships.

“I hope this medal will fetch me one (job or sponsorship),” she said with a hope.

Battling a troublesome back, Harjinder came up with a cumulative lift of 201 kgs with a best effort of 88kg in Snatch and 113kg in the Clean and Jerk section. Maharashtra’s Trupti Mane (190kg) and Manipur’s P Umeshwori Devi (189kg) took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively in the event.

“I will have to take care of my back, this has been troubling me for quite some time. Even today, there was stiffness in the back. I will have to get it fixed before preparing for the national championships in January. So in that way, there won’t be a break after this competition,” she remarked.

Harjinder said it’s the family’s support that has helped her progress so far, but in the back of her mind, plays one line, “Till how long?”

“I have been trying for a job since the Birmingham CWG bronze, but it’s close to a year and half now, there hasn’t been any development on that front. But thankfully, I have made it to the national camp where all my dietary requirements are properly monitored. That is an invaluable support but as far as the job is concerned, there hasn’t been any progress as yet,” she said.

Eyeing a gold at the upcoming national weightlifting championships, slated for January at Doimukh in Arunachal Pradesh — the Land of the Rising Sun, Harjinder hopes that the rays of the rising sun brings an end to her years of financial hardship.