Asian Powerlifting Championship: Pakistan women set to make history

Twinkle, Sonia, Shazia will become first women to feature in intl event

KARACHI: Sceptics are in for a surprise as Twinkle Sohail, Sonia Azmat and Shazia Kanwal Butt are vying to create history by becoming Pakistan’s first women powerlifters to compete in an international event.

The U20 athletes are part of the seven-member contingent — three women athletes and four male — which is leaving to participate at the Asian Powerlifting Championship in Muscat, Oman and Lahore-based Sonia is honoured to open roads for other women to display their skills in a male-dominated sport.



“I can’t believe that we are going to make history,” Sonia told The Express Tribune. “It’s an absolute honour and also a responsibility. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so long. We’re not only making international debuts for ourselves, but also for Pakistan in the sport.”

Sonia, who will be participating in the 63kg event, followed the same path as her teammates Twinkle and Shazia — participating in the 57kg and 84kg events — by starting as a weightlifter before switching to powerlifting and Pakistan Weightlifting Federation official Rashed Malik, who has been training the trio, believes they will encounter no problems in adjusting to this new sport.

“Powerlifting is not as technical as weightlifting, so we decided to let our women debut in that first,” said Malik, who is also part of the contingent and will be competing at the 93kg event at the championship. “Powerlifting has three steps, while weightlifting has two and is a more technical sport.”

Other team members include Mahmood Heera (120kg), Syed Nadeem Hashmi (105kg) and Sohail Butt (84kg).

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2015.

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