The world's eyes may be on soccer this summer, but another international competition is testing athletes in a very different way. For Lowe's Senior Technology Coach Erin Kondoor, the road to representing India doesn't lead to the pitch. It leads to the arm wrestling table.
By day, Kondoor helps guide the Lowe’s technology team in Bangalore, but before sunrise, he’s training for one of the world’s most demanding strength sports.
His journey has taken him from small local tournaments all the way to the international stage, where he’s picked up national titles, an Asian Championship bronze, and two gold medals at the 2026 World Masters Power Games.
But his path to the international stage began with a simple moment.
As a kid, Kondoor says he wasn’t good at sports but a kitchen-table match with his father sparked his confidence and interest in arm wrestling.
“I thought maybe I was strong,” Kondoor said. “That was the beginning.”
Years later, he signed up for his first district tournament in India, no coach, just determination, and walked away a champion. But the path forward was far from easy.
Kondoor quickly made a name for himself at the state level, but the national stage was a different story. With no coach to guide him, he became his own teacher, studying videos, learning from every match, and refusing to give up. After six years of setbacks, he finally claimed his first national championship in 2018.
After the pandemic, Kondoor’s hard work paid off with a spot on Team India. In his very first international outing at the Asian Championships, he brought home a bronze medal.
At the World Arm Wrestling Championships in France, Kondoor found himself face-to-face with Corey Miller, an American champion he’d looked up to for years.
“I lost,” he said with a smile. “But competing against someone I’d watched for so long felt like a dream.”
But for Kondoor, the biggest goal is still out there, waiting.
“I think I’m only about halfway to where I want to be,” Kondoor said. “There’s still a long way to go.”
That same determination that put Kondoor on Team India also shaped his path to Lowe’s. Before joining the company in March 2025, he spent almost two years earning certifications and building up the skills he’d need for the job.
Whether Kandoor is at work or representing India on the world stage, he approaches every challenge the same way: set a goal, put in the work and never take the easy way out.