Berhampur: Bijay Kumar Satpathy, a celebrated weightlifter and Arjuna Award recipient, passed away at his residence on Sunday evening at the age of 73, leaving a significant void in Odisha’s sports community. Known for his remarkable achievements, Bijay was awarded the Arjuna Award by former President Giani Zail Singh on August 29, 1982, becoming the first weightlifter from Odisha to receive this honor. He claimed the title of National Champion in weightlifting for five consecutive years from 1977-78 to 1982-83 in Calcutta and was recognized as the Best Weightlifter in India in Cochin during the 1981-82 season.
His international accolades included a 5th place finish at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1979-80 and a 2nd place finish in Auckland in 1980-81, along with a gold medal at the 1981 Mini Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Despite his significant contributions to Indian sports, Bijay faced a lack of recognition from the state government, which had not organized a meeting to honor him since he received the Arjuna Award 43 years ago, aside from a one-time financial award of Rs 10,000 from former chief minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik. Bijay began his weightlifting journey as a student at Municipal High School, Aska Road, in 1968 and joined the Indian Navy in 1974 through the sports quota, serving for a decade.
He later worked for the Indian Railways from 1985 until his voluntary retirement in 2009 after 24 years of service. His health had been declining over the past four years, and his passing occurred without the recognition that his significant achievements warranted.