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Express Tribune
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Sybil creates history for Pakistan
Sybil Sohail with her gold medal at the Asian Weightlifting Masters Championship in Doha on May 30. Photo Courtesy: TWINKLE SOHAIL Powerlifter-turned-weightlifter Sybil Sohail became the first Pakistani woman to win the gold medal at the Asian Weightlifting Masters Championship in Doha, Qatar. This was also the Commonwealth Powerlifting Champion Sybil's international debut at a weightlifting event. The 31-year-old athlete has always dreamed of raising the Pakistani flag at the Asian championship and it was an aim she had set for herself after she became the Asian Commonwealth Powerlifting and Commonwealth Powerlifting champion last year. "I aim to make my country proud, make my family proud, we have sacrificed a lot for the sport, but I need to make sure that all of that effort and dedication pays off," Sybil told this correspondent from Doha. She was competing in the 59kg category and she lifted a total of 95kg to get her gold. She lifted 40kg in snatch while she had a more solid performance in clean and jerk with a 55kg finish. Sybil is the eldest of the powerlifting and weightlifting sisters, Twinkle Sohail, Veronika Sohail, and Mariam Sohail. She and her sisters created a unique record at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships last year when they collectively grabbed 15 gold medals. She alone won six out of those 15. The sisters belong to the Christian community in Lahore and they have been a shining example for the nation that rarely sees any athletes coming forward from minority groups. However, Sybil credits Twinkle for introducing her to the sport and thanks her coach Rashed Malik for guiding all four of them and training them in Lahore at their club which is at the Punjab University grounds. "Sybil has won so many accolades for Pakistan in powerlifting, but she had never competed in weightlifting, and for her personally it was her debut at an international weightlifting event as well, it was a dream for her because she was always charmed with weightlifting," said Twinkle who also coached Sybil often while training together told this correspondent. "This is huge, she has won her gold medal on her debut." 'Bitter experiences fuel our ambition to win medals' Twinkle shared a bitter experience of Sybil's from 2016, which resulted in her missing out on the trials for the national weightlifting squad. "She had a rough experience in 2016, there were trials for the team that was meant to compete in the South Asian Games weightlifting. But Sybil couldn't go to compete in them because she had an exam that same day. She knew if she competed in them she would have secured a spot. "So since 2016, this has been a wish of hers that she finally fulfilled now. It took her nine years to achieve what she really wanted." Twinkle added that Sybil's feat brings an immense sense of pride to her and her family. Twinkle says that she understands Sybil's emotions completely. "I started sports in my family, if I reflect on my own experience, there was a time when I was selected to go to Nepal for a competition in 2019. Unfortunately, at the time when Imran Khan's government was at the helm of affairs, I found out that the government only had the funds for only five players, my name was in sixth place on that list, and I had a silver medal to my name, but I couldn't compete in that event. "So we fuel our ambition with these disappointments. These feelings are really beyond explanation but they are strong and we use them to drive us to achieve bigger goals and more medals. "Hopefully I would make my name in weightlifting too," concluded Twinkle. Lifting weights is good for women Sybil's achievements and her dedication to powerlifting and weightlifting shows that she is changing the perception of society -- one day and one medal at a time. "It is actually a misconception that weightlifting is bad for women, and it disrupts the hormones and creates complications for us when it comes to having children and starting families," Sybil explained. "It is actually healthy to build the muscles and we need these exercises and weight training to stay strong. "There are so many Pakistani powerlifters and weightlifters I know who were very active in the sport and then went on to have children."
Express Tribune
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Weightlifter Sybil to create history for Pak
The 2024 Commonwealth Powerlifting champion Sybil Sohail will make history as the first Pakistani woman to compete at the Asian Masters Weightlifting Championship in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. "I just want to ask for prayers and best wishes from the entire nation as I'm going to make history here," Sybil, who has won at least 20 international medals and 36 national medals in her career, told this correspondent from Doha. "I will be aiming for the medal-winning performance. But, I badly need support and prayers. I want to make Pakistan like I always have tried to on the international level." She will be competing in the W-30 59 Kg in Doha as her event will start at 1900 PST on Friday. The championship will feature athletes from 26 countries and Sybil is expecting a tough competition in the sweltering summer in Doha. Pakistan is also fielding Neelum Riaz and Nadia Maqsood in 76kg and 87 kg events, along with four male weightlifters to compete in various categories. The Lahore-based athlete has been one of the pioneering powerlifters and weightlifters in Pakistan, as she hails from a family of extremely empowered women that has won numerous accolades on the international stage. Her younger sisters include Twinkle Sohail, Veronika Sohail, and Mariam Sohail, all of whom have also been the Commonwealth Classic and Equipped Bench Press and Powerlifting Champions. They made the unique world record of winning 15 gold medals, three silver, and one bronze medal in October. Sybil alone won six of those medals. The sisters have been playing a crucial role in pushing the envelope for what Pakistani women can achieve in sports. Still, they have also been a shining example for the Christian community of the country, where athletes from minorities are becoming a rare sight progressively. For Sybil, the eldest of the quartet, competing at the Asian Weightlifting Championship is a dream come true. "The Asian Championship is extremely important to me, it is about making history, I will become the first woman from Pakistan to lift the weights for the country at this stage," said the 31-year-old. "I'm excited beyond words, and I must credit my coach Rashed Malik for this, without whose guidance and training I wouldn't have reached this stage. After God, I thank him for all that my sisters and I have achieved so far." 'Determined to succeed for my family' She added that she trained at Punjab University Sports Complex in Lahore. "I have been training for this event for at least two hours in the morning and then four in the evening. But You know that we still struggle to have quality gyms and equipment in Pakistan," explained Sybil, who is also planning to start her MPhil next year as she is done with her Bachelor in Sports Science from Punjab University. However, comparing the conditions in Doha to Lahore she added that the facilities are world-class and have training camps for athletes that help them succeed in the competitions too. "You can't beat athletes that get proper facilities, infrastructure, and support and training with these resources. I belong to a middle-class family, but training and carrying on in limited resources, and managing a career in a sport that is male-dominated is difficult. "Grooming one wrestler is difficult in these economic conditions, but in our home, there are four of us, so it is not difficult. "I have seen times when my father would drink water for himself but make sure that all of us would get milkshakes so we grow strong, so when we saw all of these difficult times and how my parents have sacrificed for us, all four of us decided and make it our aim that we win medals, it is a blessing for us. No one has won 15 gold medals like we did at the Commonwealth and Asian level." Switching from Powerlifting to Weightlifting Now Sybil is aiming for the weightlifting medal. "Weightlifting is definitely a more technical sport, and in my career since 2013, it has not been easy to switch quickly because techniques are there, we get injured too, but my eyes are always on the prize," said Sybil. However, she made an appeal to the government of Pakistan," I just want the government to support us, we can only do so much on an individual level. We need institutional support like even now I am competing courtesy Arshad Khan Turk, who agreed to sponsor me."
