\u201cIt is something that could have gone really, really wrong,\u201d Sonita Muluh tells The Athletic<\/em>. <\/span>\u201cLuckily, I have not been physically harmed. Mentally, I\u2019ve been struggling to deal with the racism, but this could have been even worse.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Muluh is a 29-year-old powerlifting champion who first began competing in the sport in 2020. <\/span>She is a Cameroon-born athlete who has lived in Belgium for 14 years, and in April 2025, set a new world record<\/a> by squatting 311 kilograms (685lb) on the way to winning her first world title.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Spotters are present to ensure the validity of an attempted lift, while supporting and protecting the athlete involved. They are essential in preventing injury.<\/span><\/p>\n Muluh told <\/span>The Athletic<\/span><\/i> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n However, Kusinas later confirmed that his actions were deliberate, writing on Instagram: \u201cI am racist, and \u2060I did it intentionally because I hate you pieces of s**t.\u201d Kusinas subsequently deleted the account.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, comments have resurfaced<\/a> with Kusinas using the numerical term for \u201cHeil Hitler\u201d and reposting Nazi logos on social media<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Lithuanian police confirmed to The Athletic<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n A police spokesperson told Reuters<\/a> the investigation will focus on Kusinas\u2019 social-media message and his actions from June\u2019s powerlifting event. The offence Kusinas is under investigation for carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n Once she\u2019d seen Kusinas\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t process it,\u201d she said. \u201cIn my mind, I had already made my peace with the fact that this was a human mistake. We are all humans, and I didn\u2019t want anybody to get hate because they made a mistake. But now, I see it in a different light. It wasn\u2019t a mistake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor a long time, I didn\u2019t know what to say. The next day (after I found out), I went to the gym and thought, \u2018Maybe I should say something\u2019. I took my camera, pressed record, and tried to say something, but I just kept on crying.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPart of me didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Muluh is also battling fears she will never be fully comfortable competing again, saying: \u201c<\/span>I wouldn\u2019t feel safe enough trusting another spotter by my side.\u00a0 <\/span>As an athlete, it is hard to focus on competing while also fearing that someone might be there to harm me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The incident with Kusinas adds further to Muluh\u2019s belief that the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF)\u00a0\u201cdoesn\u2019t consider the safety of Black people in the sport\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n She continued: \u201cI am not someone who likes to play the racist card, because I don\u2019t want to be negative. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I experienced racism in powerlifting was when we went to Poland. <\/span>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.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn 2025, the IPF said that we are going to Kemnat in Germany. It is a really racist place \u2014 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, \u2018No Neo-Nazi activity\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t be travelling to a competition, and while worrying about competing, I also have to worry about not being attacked.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
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