Delhi Police constable Sonika Yadav, seven months pregnant, has redefined strength and determination by lifting 145 kg at the All India Police Weightlifting Cluster 2025–26. The 31-year-old athlete says she wanted to challenge the mindset that sees pregnancy as a limitation. “I don’t want pregnancy to be seen as a disease,” she said, adding that women can pursue fitness and ambition safely with the right guidance.

Sonika, who began powerlifting in 2023, trained under expert supervision after consulting global athletes and went on to win a bronze medal in the championship.

Currently posted in the Community Policing Cell in North Delhi, Yadav had been preparing for the competition for nearly a year. During training, she discovered she was pregnant but chose not to give up.