Powerlifting championship: Female athletes shine as Pakistan bags 15 gold medals

Twinkle, Saniha, Sybil win in 72kg, 57kg, 47kg competitions, respectively

KARACHI: "Women are just as good as men, and we've just proved it with powerlifting, haven't we?" asks the 20-year-old Twinkle Sohail, who won four gold medals for Pakistan at the Oceania Powerlifting Championship and Pacific Invitationals in Singapore.

Pakistan had a stunning run at the championships as they bagged 15 gold medals courtesy three female players including Twinkle in the 72kg event, while Saniha Ghafoor won four gold medals in the 57kg event and Sybil Sohail won another four medals in the 47kg competition.

Saniha won four gold medals. PHOTO COURTESY: PPF

Twinkle was the more experienced powerlifter and she feels that there was pressure on her to carry on her performance from the 2015 Asian Championships.

Meanwhile, both Saniha and Sybil made the best possible international debut for the country as well.

All three athletes made the records in squat, bench-press and dead-lift apart from the overall ranking in the category.

"It is just the dedication of our coach and also the fact that we need to move forward," Twinkle told The Express Tribune. "I certainly felt the pressure as there were more countries competing in this championship. I really wanted to win the gold medal and have that record because we've put in so much effort and the exciting part of the event was that we've never competed among the Oceania nations before, so they had no clue how good we were.”

Twinkle said she was happy to bag gold in the event and hoped to win the world championship. “I'm just proud of the fact that we made it this far,” she said. “Hopefully I’d become the first Pakistani women to even win the World Championships someday. It is only to show that more women should take up strength sports.”

On the other hand, Saniha, who also represented Pakistan at the 2016 South Asian Games in weightlifting event, feels that the camaraderie among the girls has been a great driving force, and she managed to do her best despite a stiff competition from Japanese athletes in her 57kg event.

"I had a feeling that I would win this medal even before I came here," said Saniha. "I was confident that I can have my dream debut. I'm just surprised at how well we've been received here. I see great scope for women in powerlifting."

Saniha had also impressed the Australians and got an invitation to train at the three-month program in Melbourne by the Australian Powerlifting Federation.

Similarly, Sybil had to overcome a major setback as she reduced 1.5kg just 12 hours before the event and weigh-ins to ensure her participation, but she feels that it is a part of the game and she is glad to produce her best results at the championship.

"It is tough. Weight gain can be tricky right before the event, but I managed," said Sybil, who is studying Physical Education at Punjab University. "It has been a great experience for me but surely powerlifting is a tough sport and its more competitive than it is generally perceived. It feels great to be part of a successful team. It was a collective effort at the end of the day and we supported each other through the camp and the competition."

Meanwhile, in the men's event, Pakistan's seasoned power-lifter Mahmood Heera took the gold medal in 120kg event, lifting 609kg, to improve his national record of 590kg in masters-1 category.



PHOTO COURTESY: PPF

Syed Nadeem Hashmi lifted 530kgs in the 105kg event to take the gold medal, while teenager Muhammad Ahmed Khan contributed with his gold medal in the 120kg sub-junior category.

According to the head coach and Pakistan Powerlifting Federation official Rashed Malik the performance by each player was phenomenal.

"It was one of my aims to make sure that we show the world that Pakistani women can also thrive in powerlifting events," said Malik. "We've got a very good response from the international community; they were surprised and impressed. We made sure that our athletes, and especially the girls, get their professional gear before the event and do not lag behind in any way.”

He revealed the specifics of the gear then. "At the powerlifting events, there are specifications when it comes to the gear, shoes and belts, so we made sure that our athletes got the best of everything. They've just proved that with right training and facilities they can win accolades for Pakistan and have the potential and talent to be among the best in the world."

The team will return to Lahore on December 12 with 15 gold medals and one silver medal.