Three power lifter sisters, Cybil Sohail, Twinkle Sohail, and Veronica Sohail recently returned to Pakistan after winning five individual gold medals each, totaling 15 gold medals at the Asian Pacific African Combined Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championship 2024 held in South Africa.
Three power lifter sisters, Cybil Sohail, Twinkle Sohail, and Veronica Sohail recently returned to Pakistan after winning five individual gold medals each, totaling 15 gold medals at the Asian Pacific African Combined Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championship 2024 held in South Africa.
Upon their arrival in Pakistan, the three power lifter sisters received a warm welcome. However, the Minister of Sports and the Chief Minister of Punjab have yet to meet them or offer any words of encouragement or rewards.
These three sisters, who recently achieved this feat in South Africa, shared their thoughts. We met them at their gym in the Women’s Sports Complex of Punjab University.
The gym looked more like a ruin, with broken powerlifting machines, an old bench press, and some mats scattered on the uneven brick floor. The sisters have been training in this gym for many years.
In their simple attire, the sisters stood out, adorned with medals on their green coats.
In an interview with Independent Urdu, the eldest sister, Cybil, explained that she won four gold medals in the 52 kg category (classic) and one in the equipped category. Veronica won four gold medals in the 57 kg category (classic) and one in the equipped category, while Twinkle won four gold medals in the 84 kg category (classic) and one in the equipped category.
The sisters expressed their hope that the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, would not ignore them because she is a woman who is committed to empowering women.
Twinkle shared that the Sports Board only provided them with travel tickets for the championship in South Africa; they had to bear all other expenses themselves, for which their father had to borrow money.
Veronica added that handling all the arrangements themselves took their focus away from training. If they had full sponsorship for such events, they could dedicate their time fully to training without any financial worries, leading to even better performance despite the challenges.
Sybil recounted that they traveled alone to South Africa, without a manager or coach. Despite the 48-hour journey and adverse weather conditions, Twinkle performed exceptionally well even though she fell ill due to the freezing temperatures.
In South Africa, the sisters coached and encouraged each other. They have now been selected for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship, scheduled from October 4 to 12, 2024. Their training for this event will start soon.
The sisters urged the Punjab government and the Punjab Sports Board to provide full financial support for their participation in this championship, allowing them to focus entirely on their preparation and bring more gold medals to Pakistan.
When asked if people fear them, Veronica mentioned that as a student at Lahore College University for Women, she receives a lot of respect from fellow students and teachers. Sybil added that their neighbors also respect them, often offering help with heavy lifting.
Years of weightlifting training have made lifting heavy weights seem easy to them. Regarding their diet, Sybil explained that each sister has a different diet plan, managed by their mother, who ensures they eat according to their weight categories.
Despite their busy training schedules, the sisters wanted to spend their free time with their family. Sybil wishes to take her parents to the River Jordan, Twinkle values spending time with her family, and Veronica enjoys reading novels and hopes to take her parents on a world tour.
