Jyoshna Sabar: Tribal weightlifter from Odisha wins highest civilian honour for children

Berhampur: Jyoshna Sabar (17), a weightlifter from a remote village in tribal-dominated Gajapati district, has been selected for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar — the highest civilian honour for children in the country. The award will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony to be held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Friday.Jyoshna, who left for New Delhi on Wednesday along with her father Kirttan Sabar and uncle Madan Mohan, thanked the govt for selecting her for this prestigious award. Before she left for New Delhi, Gajapati district administration also felicitated her at Paralakhemundi. “Not only Gajapati district, but entire Odisha is proud of her achievement,” said additional district magistrate (revenue) Munindra Honnaga.Her selection for this national honour recognises not only her athletic achievements, but also her inspirational journey in overcoming social barriers from a remote village to excel at the highest levels of competition, said Arun Kumar Tripathy, district child protection officer.Over the last six years, Jyoshna — a Plus II student in KISS-Bhubaneswar — has bagged several medals in national and international competitions, including a bronze medal in Asian Youth Junior Weightlifting Championship in Albania in 2023, and gold medals in Asian Junior Weightlifting Championship in New Delhi in 2024 and International Junior Weightlifting Championship in Peru in 2025, when she also set a record by lifting the heaviest weight in her category.Hailing from a farmer’s family in Rayagada block’s Marlaba panchayat, Jyoshna has been guided by K Ravi Kumar, a gold medallist weightlifter, Jagyan and M Alkesh Barwa.She demonstrates exceptional technical proficiency, explosive power and unwavering mental resilience, said Ravi.