At 17, Muhammad Hazrul was determined to make it to the world powerlifting stage. But he did not want to burden his mother with footing the bill.<\/p>\n
So the Temasek Polytechnic student took up a part-time job, juggling his shifts with school and training to save for the trip.<\/p>\n
A year and $5,000 in savings later, he landed in South Africa, where he deadlifted<\/a> 273kg to break the world record in his category.<\/p>\n He also placed second overall in the Sub-Junior Men\u2019s 66kg category.<\/p>\n Speaking to Stomp at Strength Masters Gym, Hazrul opened up about his three-year powerlifting journey.<\/p>\n Hazrul starting lifting weights at 15 years old.<\/p>\n PHOTOS: STOMP TEAM<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Getting to the world powerlifting stage was far from easy for Hazrul.<\/p>\n It began in secondary school, when he started weight training at an ActiveSG gym. A senior from his school who was a powerlifter noticed him and eventually introduced him to his coach.<\/p>\n Over the next few years, Hazrul developed a passion for powerlifting and began training and competing at national and international levels. He earned second place for the 2024 Nationals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wanting to \u201creach for the stars\u201d next, he set his sights on the World Championships in South Africa on Aug 21 this year.<\/p>\n Hazrul then spent the following year preparing for the championships.<\/p>\n Not wanting to add to the financial burden on his mother, the family\u2019s sole breadwinner, he worked part-time as a receptionist and auditor at an Anytime Fitness<\/a> outlet for about a year to save for his trip to Sun City, South Africa.<\/p>\n Despite having to juggle his studies in architectural technology with a rigorous training schedule, Hazrul managed to save just enough to fund the flight tickets for himself and his mother.<\/p>\n He shared that his mother works \u201cextremely hard\u201d as a sales advisor to provide for him and his brothers.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want her to work so much and I didn\u2019t want to keep asking her for money,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n PHOTO: MUHAMMAD HAZRUL<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Hazrul, who is the youngest of three sons, said his mother already had to shoulder the family\u2019s bills, put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want her to work so much and I didn\u2019t want to keep asking her for money. It\u2019s hard for her already,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hazrul shared that his mother was \u201cinitially worried\u201d about him juggling school, work and training, but became excited by the idea of joining him on the trip and cheering him on.<\/p>\n \u201cTravelling to a country as far as South Africa is something that she hasn\u2019t done before.\u201d<\/p>\n Still eager to chip in and support her son\u2019s endeavors, she covered their accommodation costs which came to about $2,000.<\/p>\n Hazrul added that he will receive about $1,500 from the Government\u2019s Athletes\u2019 Inspire Fund<\/a>, which supports national athletes<\/a>. However, he noted that there is no monetary reward for his achievements.<\/p>\n Hazrul said balancing his studies, a part-time job and intense training proved challenging.<\/p>\n For months, he followed a strict schedule, with his days beginning at 7.30am.\u00a0<\/p>\n He trained after school four days a week for up to four hours without fail. On the remaining days, he would clock in to work.<\/p>\n With such a rigorous schedule, he hardly had time to socialise or even stop for a break.\u00a0There were countless times, he said, when he felt like giving up.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know how many more shifts I could take before I hit my breaking point,\u201d said Hazrul. He added that he would go home \u201cextremely exhausted\u201d.<\/p>\n Ultimately, he reminded himself that he was working hard to achieve his goals at the upcoming competition.<\/p>\n When Hazrul first started pursuing powerlifting, his mother was concerned about his safety and was \u201cprotective\u201d over him, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that she wasn\u2019t supportive of me doing powerlifting, but that she didn\u2019t know what exactly I was doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n She would tell him: \u201cIf you cannot, don\u2019t force yourself. If you cannot, just let go.\u201d<\/p>\n But after watching him compete, Hazrul said his mother realised that her son was actually very good at what he does.<\/p>\n Still, he has suffered injuries due to the physically demanding nature of powerlifting. The worst, he said, was a lower-back injury that left him unable to squat<\/a> or deadlift.<\/p>\n The effects of the injury still linger more than a year later, although he said proper rehabilitation has allowed him to continue exercising<\/a> without it affecting his performance.<\/p>\n In powerlifting, athletes are tested on their strength by measuring how much they can lift, according to their age or weight class, across three exercises: the deadlift, squat and bench press.<\/p>\n Hazrul said he stepped onto the world powerlifting stage in August determined and expecting to break the previous deadlift record of 271kg.<\/p>\n But his competition got off to a rocky start when he failed his first two attempts and began experiencing cramps.<\/p>\n After composing himself, he walked back onto the stage for his final attempt, confident that he knew exactly what he had to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew the perfect setup. I just had to reach down to the bar and pull it up just like how I did it in training,\u201d said Hazrul.<\/p>\n As he lifted the bar off the ground and looked up at the sky, he told himself: \u201cI\u2019m not letting this go.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n When he heard the referee give the down command, Hazrul dropped the bar and turned towards the screen, where he saw three white lights indicating a good lift.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to process it.\u201d<\/p>\n PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD HAZRUL<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI was overwhelmed with a lot of emotions and all I could do at the moment was fall to the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to cry actually. The years of hard work came crashing down and I didn\u2019t know how to process it,\u201d said Hazrul.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to breaking the previous deadlift world record, Hazrul squatted 220kg and bench-pressed 120kg, bringing his total to 613kg and securing second place overall in his category.<\/p>\n Although he said he had set his sights on the world total record of 635.5kg, he was grateful for the experience and said there was still more for him to work on.<\/p>\n When Hazrul saw his mother after the podium ceremony, his mother hugged him and immediately called all their relatives to tell them about his win, saying: \u201cI\u2019m so proud of my son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was very happy. I let her wear my medals. She cried a little,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was very happy. I let her wear my medals. She cried a little,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n PHOTO: MUHAMMAD HAZRUL<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n To celebrate his win, Hazrul said he immediately bought himself a large pizza<\/a> and ate it all by himself at one go, having been on a strict diet for the eight months leading up to the championships.<\/p>\n Having his mother by his side at the world championships in South Africa meant a lot to Hazrul.<\/p>\n
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\u2018I didn\u2019t want her to work so much\u2019<\/h2>\n
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Juggled school, work and training to fund his dream<\/h2>\n
Mother concerned at first<\/h2>\n
Representing Singapore on the world stage<\/h2>\n
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Family keeps him going<\/h2>\n
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