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Kunjurani becomes a heavyweight -- literally

India's Kunjurani Devi has earned the distinction of being listed among the greatest weightlifters of the world.

The recent issue of World Weightlifting Magazine, the official publication of the international federation, has ranked Kunjurani among the top 100 lifters of the century.

There are only seven women lifters in the list of 100 -- predictably so as women's lifting began only in 1987. The Indian ace, by virtue of having won 18 medals in six world championships to date, makes the grade with ease.

Her tally of 42 medals in world and Asian contests is unparalleled in the history of Indian sports. Earlier, she was ranked among the all-time great women -- now, she has made it to the list of the greatest in the century.

Other Asians in the list include five times world champion Mohammad Nassiri of Iran, ranked fourth in the list; the seven time world champion Yoshiyuki Miyaki who holds 27 world records and Leonid Taranenko of Belarus -- the person who, among other things, has trained Kunjurani and fellow lifter Karnam Malleshwari.