FINDING STRENGTH IN THEIR BODIES

On International Women's Day, The Straits Times spotlights the triumphs and challenges of women in sport — from a mother balancing professional golf with parenting, female karters chasing their dreams in a male-dominated sport, to a powerlifter and rugby player who are challenging the norms of strength, beauty, and success.

- Kimberly Kwek

When Farhanna Farid made the transition from lifting weights recreationally to powerlifting about eight years ago, she had doubts about whether it was the right choice.

While there were female powerlifters then, the community was small. Being a muscular Asian woman was also outside the norm, owing to social stigma and traditional views of how women should look.

Farhanna became more conscious about her body's changes after going past 50kg on the weighing scale and realizing that some of her clothes no longer fit.

She also received comments from her family about why she was "getting so big" and "bulky".

But, conversely, she felt in the best shape of her life, which played a key role in redefining how she perceived her body.

The 32-year-old said: "It rattled me for a bit in the beginning and I started questioning whether I should do it. But again, I felt so much better in terms of my strength, how good my body felt and my body awareness.

"I realized that it didn't matter what people thought I should look like, as long as I'm comfortable in my own skin."