Chennai powerlifter bags gold at Asian Championship
The 42-year-old, who holds a personal best of 110 kg achieved at a district-level tournament, opted for a safe approach in the deadlift, successfully lifting 102.5 kg
Lathifa Sirajudheen poses with the gold medal
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s Lathifa Sirajudheen outlifted competitors from nine countries to claim gold at the WRPF All Asia Powerlifting Championship 2025 held in Vietnam on Friday.
The 42-year-old, who holds a personal best of 110 kg achieved at a district-level tournament, opted for a safe approach in the deadlift, successfully lifting 102.5 kg. She added 35 kg in the bench press and 40 kg in the squat to total 177.5 kg, securing the top prize in the women’s raw master category.
A total of 21 Indian athletes competed across various categories at the championship. In Lathifa’s category, compatriot Parul Tambakuwala was disqualified after failing all three of her initial attempts.
Lathifa only took up powerlifting a year ago and trains at Solid Fitness Academy. She first made her mark at the Chennai district-level powerlifting event last year, where she won gold and was named the strongest woman in her category by the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF).
She has since accumulated more than three ‘strong woman’ awards across tournaments she has entered. Her coach, Karthik, also clinched a gold medal in the open senior category at the Asian event.