Karenjeet Kaur Bains is best known as Athena, Greek goddess of war and wisdom in BBC Saturday night hit, Gladiators – but to her schoolmates she’s Bullet Bains
Putting Gladiators aside, Karenjeet’s sporting achievements are incredible. At 5ft 4ins she’s easily underestimated which she loathes, but she is mighty. Aged just 17, she found her powerlifting groove thanks to some coaching from her dad and went on to become five times all-England champion, five times British champion, Commonwealth champion and world record holder for the most bodyweight squats in a minute among other accolades.
She shunned the female stereotypes of her Sikh Punjabi heritage which sometimes puts a premium on quiet and dainty in favour of strength and determination and she’s now inspiring other women and girls to go for their dreams. Karenjeet was lucky to be born into a sporty family. Her twin brothers were national 400m runners and naturally, she wanted to follow in their footsteps, so she took up athletics and as the moniker Bullet Bains suggests, she excelled.
She says she knew about winning and losing from an early age which she’s grateful for. Her dad was a former body builder/lifter and while Karenjeet describes herself as academic and nerdy, she was also fierce and while studying in sixth form, she started lifting under her father’s tutelage. Initially Karenjeet wanted to lift to make her sprinting more explosive but once her dad had shown her the basic squat, bench and deadlifts, she was hooked on powerlifting as a sport in its own right.
STUBBORN DETERMINATION
Just three months after she started lifting Karenjeet’s dad entered her into a competition. Wearing school PE kit with no proper equipment and her brothers by her side, she won and within six months Karenjeet was British champion. It wasn’t all plain sailing as a serious injury set her back just as she returned from the Commonwealth Games which put her out of the sport for two years. Karenjeet was determined to come back and compete at the highest level which she did.
What’s also remarkable is that Karenjeet studied chartered accountancy at Durham University while training for and competing in the world championships – not your average university experience. She gained a prestigious scholarship to Durham from one of the big four accountancy firms of which only 60 are offered across the country.
ROAR OF THE CROWD
The call up for Gladiators was a bit secretive. In 2023 Karenjeet was sent an e-mail about a TV opportunity centred around a superhero programme. At this point Karenjeet’s Instagram presence was significant plus she’d been the subject of BBC One’s Extraordinary Portraits, so her profile was rising. She feels the producers had earmarked her for the show as they’re always on the lookout for potential talent.
One hundred people were put through their paces at the fitness trials with the top females selected. She says she’ll never take it for granted adding: “The roar of the crowd never fails to humble me. When I see Athena posters in the crowd it’s humbling. There are eight muscly women who are great role models. Strength is beauty.” Karenjeet was filming the third series in Sheffield when we spoke and is keen to point out that she is an athlete first and appearance second. All of the Gladiators are serious athletes. Among them are Olympians and champions in various arenas and they take their role seriously.
EYE OF THE TIGER
One of the things most precious to Karenjeet is the speaking she’s able to do in local schools in Warwick. She says: “The kids go crazy for it. I’ve overcome adversity and it’s hasn’t been easy so there’s a strong message to pass on.” She adds: “I’ve done this with nothing fancy. Training at home with weights made by hand by my dad – it’s all a bit Rocky!
“I’ve got hang tough rings in the garden and an array of equipment. There’s no sugar coating this. I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved through stubborn determination.” I feel she might get that from her mum who unusually took up athletics in her forties having missed out on the opportunities Karenjeet was able to grab with both hands as a child. Her mum throws javelin and discus.
Karenjeet is just as much about smashing glass ceilings and busting stereotypes as winning titles and breaking records. She coaches women online who want to get into fitness and break free from societal barriers that might be constraining them. She’s giving back in the best of ways.