During the 2026 World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Lithuania, 29-year-old Belgian athlete Sonita Muluh was attempting a historic 334.5-kilogram (737.4-pound) squat when an official event spotter deliberately placed his knee under the barbell. The physical contact invalidated the attempt, robbing Muluh of a world record and placing her at risk of severe injury under the massive load. Muluh initially assumed the incident was an unfortunate accident and publicly defended the spotter online. However, that turned out not to be the case, as he later shared racist remarks on social media.
The truth emerged weeks after the competition when video analysis went viral and sparked intense debate across the powerlifting community. Another iconic powerlifter, Joe Sullivan, shared a video breaking down Sonita’s attempt and showing exactly where the spotter made contact with the weight.
Confronted in a comment section, the spotter confessed to targeting Sonita Muluh:
“I’m racist and I did it on purpose because I hate you pieces of s**t”
He also added anti-Black slurs and the neo-Nazi symbol “88”. This left Sonita Muluh even more devastated, as she believed it was an honest mistake despite it costing her the world record and a title.
The admissions sparked immediate outrage, prompting the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation to issue the spotter a lifetime ban and refer him to police for criminal incitement of hatred. Though the spotter later backtracked to claim he was only mocking critics, the incident left Sonita Muluh emotionally shattered and exposed severe gaps in how safety personnel are vetted in international sport. Sonita also joined the criminal investigation against the spotter conducted by the Lithuanian authorities.
Sonita Muluh also explained that she is grateful to have had so many good spotters across the years who have made sure that she walks away injury-free from some dangerously heavy lifts.
“While this incident is now going to make me question every spotter standing next to me, question if I am safe,
I wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone that has ever spotted me and kept me safe without being bothered by the colour of my skin.”
Having brought the situation to light, Sonita Muluh is aware that the situation is now out of her control. So, she focused on the only thing that she can affect, which is her preparation for future competitions. As such, Sonita continues to put in the hard work in the gym, which will undoubtedly lead her to the world record that she was unfairly stripped of.
Check out Sonita Muluh’s statement here:
Sonita Muluh has taken part in a total of 29 sanctioned powerlifting competitions, 16 of which saw her take home the title. She has won some of the greatest titles that the sport has to offer, including the IPF World Championships and EPF European Championships, while also setting multiple World Records in the process.
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