A spotter at the Powerlifting Championships admitted to sabotaging a black athlete’s record attempt, declaring he did so because he was “a racist”.
Sonita Muluh, a Belgian powerlifter, was attempting to squat 334.5kg in Lithuania in June when Ernestas Kusinas, an assistant, placed his knee under the barbell, causing a failed attempt. The five spotters are only allowed to touch the weights if the athlete cannot fully lift them themselves.
Muluh initially defended his action, believing it to be a mistake, only for Kusinas to reply to a video posted by an American influencer, writing: “I am a racist, and I did it intentionally, because I hate you pieces of s—.”
His comments ensured the Lithuanian federation referred the incident to the police, who then started an investigation.
A police spokesman told Reuters the investigation would focus on the Instagram message and events at the championship. The maximum penalty is two years in prison.
Kusinas said his Instagram comment was written out of anger, in response to racism accusations, and was intended not as a statement but as a mockery of the accusation. He said he unintentionally interfered with Muluh’s and other athletes’ attempts because he was tired after his duties at the event.
The Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation issued a lifetime ban and Kusinas subsequently made his social media accounts private.
“I have dealt with racism in numerous ways but never in this manner,” Muluh said on Instagram.
