‘Pedal to the metal' for next 2 years, says Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid

Straits Times

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Singapore powerlifter Farhanna Farid breaks the world record in the deadlift 52kg category for the 10th time.
SINGAPORE – The clock is ticking for Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid, who at 32 has spent nearly a decade in the sport and notched many milestones in her career.
She has given herself two years to put 'the pedal to the metal' and break more records, before settling down and starting a family.
Farhanna, who wants to have two children, said: '(It will be) a two-year campaign for me to push in powerlifting, see how far I can go, and then after that, we'll flip the switches a little bit and change gears and I would like to focus on family building.
'I would still be powerlifting, but probably won't be competing so much.'
She has broken the world record 10 times in the deadlift 52kg class, and notched her latest achievement at the International Powerlifting Federation World Open Classic Powerlifting Championships in Chemnitz, Germany on June 10, when she lifted 209.5kg to rewrite her mark.
Her lift was 0.5kg more than her previous best of 209kg, set at the 2024 edition in Lithuania.
Farhanna said: 'I haven't always been the record holder. I would break the record and an opponent would take it and then I proceed to break it again… So it just speaks of how temporary records and numbers are.
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'That 10th world record, it sounds like a great number, but I think beyond that, the ripples and echoes it has created, conversations that I've been able to get myself involved with and people that I can link up with and talk to about powerlifting, about females in sport, I think that has been a bigger achievement for me personally.'
She will next head to Chengdu, China, for the World Games from Aug 7 to 17, when classic powerlifting – which restricts equipment to a weight belt, singlet and wrist straps – will make its debut. The Games previously featured only equipped powerlifting, which uses specialised gear such as supportive suits, shirts and wraps.
'Let's see if we can break the world record again, and this time on a bigger stage, because it's truly the best of the best on that platform with me,' she said.
'Everything will be completely different to what I have experienced before, and hopefully to build the biggest total (weight) I've had to date.'
In 2022, Farhanna quit her job as a pharmacist to focus on powerlifting full time. Her role in the sport extends beyond an athlete – she is also a coach and is a part of the executive committee at national governing body Powerlifting Singapore.
To get more women to take up powerlifting, she is helping to organise a women-only competition in September.
She added: 'It's been something that I've been trying to push, because I feel like we need more female participation in our sport.
'The numbers have been increasing, but I feel like it's been stagnant for a while. So I wanted to introduce something new in our line-up of local competitions.'
While she has given herself two years to achieve her powerlifting goals, Farhanna insisted she will not hang up her gloves just yet and 'listen to her body' to see if she can continue competing.
'There shouldn't be a retirement age in powerlifting, but you're dictated by your body's capabilities,' said Farhanna.
'Of course, I would listen to it and mentally I am driven, and I'm keen to do this for as long as I can.
'I want to compete well into my silver years and my grandkids can be like, 'my grandma's stronger than yours'. It will be the ultimate achievement to show people that age would not need to stop you from pursuing your dreams.'