Powerlifting: Singapore power to 41 golds

7 records tumble in sensational showing at Asian Classic powerlifting meet in Mongolia

Farhanna Farid (left), weighing below 52kg, broke the Asian record thrice, ending with a 173kg dead lift in Ulaanbaatar, while Thor Qian Qi, in the U-52kg junior class, managed a 130kg squat.
Farhanna Farid (above), weighing below 52kg, broke the Asian record thrice, ending with a 173kg dead lift in Ulaanbaatar. PHOTO: POWERLIFTING SINGAPORE
Farhanna Farid (left), weighing below 52kg, broke the Asian record thrice, ending with a 173kg dead lift in Ulaanbaatar, while Thor Qian Qi, in the U-52kg junior class, managed a 130kg squat.
Thor Qian Qi (above), in the U-52kg junior class, managed a 130kg squat. PHOTO: POWERLIFTING SINGAPORE

Singapore powerlifter Farhanna Farid had been aiming to end the Asian Classic Championship on a high. But there was just one problem - the bar refused to budge.

For three whole seconds.

But she refused to stop heaving and finally, it lifted off the ground, as did her women's Under-52kg Open gold-medal chances.

In the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, she knocked down three Asian records in the dead lift, at 160.5kg, 170.5kg and 173kg, en route to becoming the first Singaporean to win an overall gold internationally in the Open age division.

In total, seven Asian records fell to a 17-strong Singapore team who amassed 41 golds, 10 silvers and five bronzes.

The Asian Classic is an annual championship organised by the Asian Powerlifting Federation, an affiliate of the International Powerlifting Federation. This edition saw 253 competitors from 18 nations.

The strength sport requires competitors to perform three lifts - the squat, bench press and dead lift.

Said Farhanna of her final lift of 173kg: "I think I gave everyone on the Singapore team a near-heart attack. Everyone's heart sank and thought I would not get it."

"But I wasn't letting go of the bar. I wanted it so much I kept pulling, and finally it flew upwards," she added of her Asian record effort.

The 26-year-old pharmacist had in April become the first woman in the country to dead lift over three times her bodyweight, with a 160.5kg effort at the Singapore Powerlifting Open.

"This year's Asian Classic was the ultimate goal for me. The plan was to come here, get the gold medals, and the Asian record," she added.

Thor Qian Qi, 19, also stood out, winning four gold medals and pulling a 145.5kg dead lift for an Asian record in the women's Under-52kg junior category.

The Republic's men also put in a creditable performance.

Norfatris Danial, 22, finished his competition with the overall gold to go with a 281kg dead lift followed by a 293kg dead lift, earning him two Asian records and the gold in the U-83kg junior category.

Matthew Yap's 248kg effort in the squat broke the Asian record and won him the U-74kg junior category. The 19-year-old also took the bronze in the bench press, a silver in the dead lift, and the overall gold.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 09, 2018, with the headline Powerlifting: Singapore power to 41 golds. Subscribe