“It is something that could have gone really, really wrong,” Sonita Muluh tells The Athletic. “Luckily, I have not been physically harmed. Mentally, I’ve been struggling to deal with the racism, but this could have been even worse.”
Muluh is a 29-year-old powerlifting champion who first began competing in the sport in 2020. She is a Cameroon-born athlete who has lived in Belgium for 14 years, and in April 2025, set a new world record by squatting 311 kilograms (685lb) on the way to winning her first world title.
However, at the World Open Classic Powerlifting Championships in Druskininkai, Lithuania, in June this year, her attempt at a 334.5kg lift was sabotaged by Ernestas Kusinas, a volunteer spotter at the competition.
Spotters are present to ensure the validity of an attempted lift, while supporting and protecting the athlete involved. They are essential in preventing injury.
Muluh told The Athletic that on her third attempt at lifting 334.5kg, Kusinas rested the weights on his knee. She was consequently disqualified and not allowed to attempt the lift again by the judges.
However, Kusinas later confirmed that his actions were deliberate, writing on Instagram: “I am racist, and I did it intentionally because I hate you pieces of s**t.” Kusinas subsequently deleted the account.
Furthermore, comments have resurfaced with Kusinas using the numerical term for “Heil Hitler” and reposting Nazi logos on social media.
The Lithuanian police confirmed to The Athletic that a pre-trial investigation for alleged public expression of contempt or incitement to hatred/discrimination of a person belonging to a protected group was initiated on August 3.
A police spokesperson told Reuters the investigation will focus on Kusinas’ social-media message and his actions from June’s powerlifting event. The offence Kusinas is under investigation for carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Once she’d seen Kusinas’ Instagram message, Muluh said she was in shock and thought it was a joke, but was quickly tagged in several posts herself. The reality of the situation then dawned on her.
“I couldn’t process it,” she said. “In my mind, I had already made my peace with the fact that this was a human mistake. We are all humans, and I didn’t want anybody to get hate because they made a mistake. But now, I see it in a different light. It wasn’t a mistake.
“For a long time, I didn’t know what to say. The next day (after I found out), I went to the gym and thought, ‘Maybe I should say something’. I took my camera, pressed record, and tried to say something, but I just kept on crying.
“Part of me didn’t want to believe what the guy had said. It was already hard enough for me, having to deal with the result of my competition. Now, I have to deal with this person who has sabotaged me because of the colour of my skin.”
Muluh is also battling fears she will never be fully comfortable competing again, saying: “I wouldn’t feel safe enough trusting another spotter by my side. As an athlete, it is hard to focus on competing while also fearing that someone might be there to harm me.”
The incident with Kusinas adds further to Muluh’s belief that the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) “doesn’t consider the safety of Black people in the sport”.
She continued: “I am not someone who likes to play the racist card, because I don’t want to be negative.
“The first time I experienced racism in powerlifting was when we went to Poland. At the airport, I was sneezed on by someone walking past. It was very intentional and gross. At the event, Black athletes were booed by the crowd when they got on stage.
“Before we went to Lithuania in 2024, I had to search things about the country, and I was warned about their racial attitudes. I had seen people complain about the racism in Lithuania.
“In 2025, the IPF said that we are going to Kemnat in Germany. It is a really racist place — Nazis live there. It has a lot of discrimination. My German friends were warning me not to go out alone because I might be attacked. The gym we went to train at had a poster that said, ‘No Neo-Nazi activity’.
“How bad must the place be that a gym has to put that sort of sign up? These are the places that the IPF chose for us to go and compete. Have they ever thought about us? Our safety has never been considered.
“I shouldn’t be travelling to a competition, and while worrying about competing, I also have to worry about not being attacked.”
The IPF issued a lifetime ban to Kusinas on July 28. A statement from the organisation said that it “unequivocally condemns racism, discrimination, and hateful conduct in all its forms.”
The statement continued: “The IPF remains steadfast in its commitment to equality, inclusion, integrity, and fair play. Racism, discrimination and hate have no place in our sport. The IPF extends its support to everyone affected by this incident.”
The IPF confirmed to The Athletic that a review of the matter remains ongoing and that it is awaiting the completion of that process before conclusions are reached.
Part of this is looking into the operational processes surrounding volunteer recruitment, accreditation, screening and supervision. The IPF says it is trying to find ways to further strengthen safeguards for athletes and officials at future competitions. While Muluh was initially frustrated by a lack of outreach from the IPF, its president, Sigurjon Petursson, has since been in touch.
The Lithuanian federation has also barred Kusinas from all events.
Sonita Muluh has serious concerns for the safety of Black athletes in the sport (Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)
Kusinas told Reuters 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 accusations. He said he unintentionally interfered with Muluh’s and other athletes’ attempts because he was tired from his duties at the event.
When asked what she believes the IPF should improve on going forward, Muluh said: “They need to be careful where they host events.
“They should host events in places that people are more used to people travelling and seeing people from different cultures and different ethnicities. They should be picking places where people are already used to these things. We’ve been to Lithuania twice. Why?
“They need to consider the safety and comfort level of the athletes. Ask themselves, ‘Are our athletes safe here?’
“Also, there should be more screening of supporters and volunteers. If you want to put my life in somebody’s hands, you can at least spend more than one minute doing a check-up.”
