News n Pics : Praveen Carvalho
Third place in the 83 kg Senior category at the South Indian Nationals extends a year that has taken the Hosala powerlifter from Mangalore to Indore, Aurangabad and now Kerala
KANNUR, November 3, 2026: Roshan Lobo of Hosala, Barkur, won the bronze medal in the 83 kg Senior category at the South Indian National Powerlifting Championship, held at Mundayad, Kannur, Kerala, on Tuesday.
The medal is the latest in a season in which the 41-year-old lifter has competed across state, national and regional platforms, in different weight classes and formats, and has repeatedly reached the podium.
A Podium on Southern Soil
The South Indian Nationals bring together the strongest lifters from the southern states, and the Senior category is open to all adult competitors, with no age-adjusted brackets to lean on. Lobo's bronze in the 83 kg class came against that open field.
The result is also a homecoming of sorts. After a year of travelling to Indore and Aurangabad, Lobo returned to the south and finished on the podium again.
How the Season Unfolded
The Kannur medal is the latest chapter in a year that began in February in Mangalore, where Lobo competed at the state championship. That event opened the door to his national selections and led to a spell of competition far from the Karnataka coast.
- February: State championship, Mangalore. This was the qualifying platform for his national assignments.
- Indore: A silver medal at national level.
- All India Masters Championship: Selected and fielded in the Masters category in July.
- July, Aurangabad: A bronze in the 83 kg National Classic Powerlifting Championship at Garkheda Stadium, followed by a standout showing at the 83 kg Equipped National competition in the same city.
- November 3, Kannur: Bronze in the 83 kg Senior category at the South Indian Nationals.
The Aurangabad Haul
Lobo's most decorated outing of the year came at Garkheda Stadium in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, in the 83 kg Equipped National competition. He came away with four medals in a single day:
|
Lift
|
Weight
|
Medal
|
|---|---|---|
|
Squat
|
235 kg
|
Bronze
|
|
Bench Press
|
130 kg
|
Bronze
|
|
Deadlift
|
245 kg
|
Silver
|
|
Total
|
610 kg
|
Overall Silver
|
The deadlift was his strongest discipline, and a 610 kg total at that level showed he could match the country's best in the 83 kg class. The Kannur bronze confirms that Aurangabad was not a one-off.
Moving Down from 93 kg to 83 kg
Lobo has competed in the 83 kg class through much of the season, after earlier outings at 93 kg. Dropping a weight class is demanding for any strength athlete, since it requires losing bodyweight without giving up lifting performance. It takes careful nutrition, close monitoring of body composition and discipline in the final days before weigh-in. That he has stayed on the podium after the change suggests the move has paid off.
Training Around a Working Life
Lobo's preparation does not follow a conventional periodised plan. His job keeps him away from home, so he trains in bursts, using whatever hours he can find at J.P. Gym, Barkur, under coach Nithin Poojari, whenever work brings him back to the coast.
It is an improvised method, but the medal count suggests it works. Consistency, in Lobo's case, comes from intent rather than routine.
Backed by the State Association
The Karnataka Powerlifting Association, which fielded him for the state team earlier this year, will see these results as justification for its selection. His medals across Mangalore, Indore, Aurangabad and now Kannur all came after that first state-level opportunity.
What the Numbers Say
- 83 kg: the weight class in which he has competed through the season
- 610 kg: best total this year, at the Equipped Nationals
- 4 medals at Aurangabad
- 41 years: his age, with no sign of slowing down
- Bronze at Kannur: his latest podium
Lobo has not said what he will compete in next. His record this year, though, suggests each medal has been a stepping stone to the next competition.