The tragic death of a 17-year-old powerlifting champion has put forth questions about the safety measures involved in the game. The incident happened in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, said police.
Yashtika Acharya died while practising in the gym. She was trying to lift a 270-kg rod when it fell on her neck, snapping it. The video of the gruesome incident went viral on social media.
The athlete had won the gold medal in National Bench Press Championship in Goa in October last year in the Sub Junior 84kg and above category. She was in her regular practice session in the gym when the incident happened. Though Yashtika's spotter and coach Ashish was there to help her, he couldn't do much. He also suffered injuries.
The video shows Yashtika attempting to lift the weight with Ashish as a spotter. This, apparently, was her second attempt, the first being successful. Her bid to lift it fails as she falls backwards, pushing her coach too. The entire weight shifted to her neck, causing her to collapse backwards.
Though a probe is on into what caused her death, the incident suggests that something went wrong in the lift. In the video, it looks like Yashtika was attempting a squat.
In a squat, the bar loaded with weights rests on the lifter's shoulders at the back of the head. The lifter then squats and then ascends back to an erect position. In Yashtika's case, the video hints she lost balance when the rod was on the back of her head.
As per norms, if the body is not balanced during the lift, it can increase the strain on the muscles and can even cause death.
