Doctor strikes gold in powerlifting

Lautoka based doctor Natasha Singh made an impressive inter­national debut, winning gold in the Open Women's 76kg division at the Oceania Regional Pow­erlifting Championships at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva.

Singh recorded a total lift of 372.5kg to claim gold in the Open women's 76kg division.

She also won three gold medals in the individual events - bench press, squat and deadlift. She lifted 62.5kg in the bench press, 142.5kg in the squat and 167.5kg in the deadlift.

"This is my first international competition. I dedicate this win to Mr and Mrs Ali, who are ex­ecutive members of Powerlift­ing Fiji and have supported me throughout my journey," Singh said.

"I want to thank Ayaz Ali, who was my handler during the com­petition and has been my best friend for three years."

Singh took up the sport in 2024 but stepped away after starting her medical internship.

"I had left because I couldn't balance the sport, my hospital shifts and training. I challenged myself this year to find a balance between my work and passion," she said.

"The preparation has been re­ally hard, but at the same time, I enjoyed it because I saw pro­gress."

Singh said her coach arranged a training programme that allowed her to work around her hospital shifts.

"I've worked seven-hour night shifts, then I'll sleep during the day. I would wake up and then go train. I told myself that if I wanted something, I would put in the work."

Singh said powerlifting had taught her discipline and deter­mination in her daily life.

"Powerlifting is something that saved me, as I was very over­weight back in the day. It gave me an opportunity not to see myself as a woman with that image in society, but to understand what my strength and potential could mean."

She said her colleagues and the powerlifting community had in­spired her to do her best.

"They have seen my potential, and they told me to come and compete and get back to busi­ness. I stand on an international platform, and a gold medal is a big win for me."

Singh has set her sights on rep­resenting Fiji at next year's Pa­cific Games in Tahiti.

"There will be eight females and eight male lifters selected, so the selection criteria will be tough, but I hope I can make it. I'm look­ing forward to that, and I will be working hard to qualify, which is the main goal."

Singh said she would focus on improving her lifting technique as she worked towards selection.

She also urged Fijians to sup­port the growth of the sport.

"The most important thing right now to grow the sport is the support from our Fijians. Being a woman in a male-dominated career and sport, the message to all women out there is to believe in themselves. With a disciplined mindset, anything is possible."

Singh is employed at the Aspen Medical-managed hospital in Lautoka.