A powerlifting spotter is under police investigation in Lithuania after a social media post in which he appeared to claim he deliberately sabotaged a black athlete’s lift because he was “racist” – comments he later insisted were sarcastic and not a genuine admission.
The controversy centres on the World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships in Lithuania in June, where Belgian star Sonita Muluh saw an attempt to squat 334.5kg disqualified after assistant spotter Ernestas Kusinas appeared to place his knee beneath the barbell during the lift.
The incident initially appeared to be a costly mistake.
However, it drew global attention weeks later after a post shared from Kusinas’ Instagram account appeared to claim the interference had been intentional and racially motivated.
According to Reuters, the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation subsequently referred both the social media post and the incident itself to police, who have now launched an investigation.
The post included offensive language and appeared to state that Kusinas had intentionally interfered with Muluh’s lift because he was “racist”.
Kusinas has since denied that was the case.
He said the message was written in anger and was intended sarcastically to mock social media users accusing him of racism, rather than reflect his genuine views.
A powerlifting spotter is under police investigation in Lithuania after a social media post in which he appeared to claim he deliberately sabotaged a black athlete’s lift because he was “racist” – comments he later insisted were sarcastic and not a genuine admission
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He also denied deliberately interfering with Muluh’s attempt, claiming the contact was accidental and caused by fatigue after working throughout the competition.
The police investigation remains ongoing and no conclusions have been reached.
If convicted of an offence arising from the case, Kusinas could face a prison sentence of up to two years under Lithuanian law.
Following the controversy, the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation imposed a lifetime ban on Kusinas from all federation events. He has also switched his social media accounts to private.
Sonita Muluh, 29, is one of the sport’s biggest names, having become world champion in 2024 while collecting multiple medals at major international competitions
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Muluh, 29, is one of the sport’s biggest names, having become world champion in 2024 while collecting multiple medals at major international competitions.
Her partner, Kristof De Coninck, believes the incident may have cost Muluh victory in Lithuania and warned that errors by spotters can have potentially devastating consequences for athletes attempting record-breaking lifts.
“Initially, we thought it was a mistake,” De Coninck said. “But then, it became clear (because of the social media comment) that the person had done it deliberately, motivated by racial bias.”
That allegation is disputed by Kusinas, who says the Instagram post was sarcastic rather than an admission of what happened.
Speaking to the BBC, Muluh admitted she had originally viewed the incident as an unfortunate accident before learning about the social media post several weeks later.
“It’s shocking to wake up five weeks later and it’s all over the internet that he did it on purpose because of the colour of my skin,” she said. “I feel unsafe and uneasy that this person is standing beside me with massive weight, with what can go wrong, with the amount of weight on your back.
“I was lucky when I realised [it hit his knee] and I could stabilise it. Not everyone could. It was the heaviest ever squat for a female.”
Muluh also revealed she never directed abuse towards Kusinas after the competition because she genuinely believed it had been an honest mistake.
“(Kusinas) did not reach out afterwards to apologise, but he is not obliged to. I thought it was a human mistake, that cost me a lot on the day,” she added.
“But there was no hatred [from me]. I didn’t lash out; didn’t curse at him. There was a video of it posted afterwards and I said: ‘I hope he does not get hate.’ I believed it was an honest mistake.
“And then I find out five weeks later that he said this.”
In a statement, the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation said: “We would like to address the situation that unfolded on social media.
“We reviewed available information relating to Ernestas Kusinas and were deeply shocked by the views and activities addressed publicly which contradict the principles we stand for.
“The federation takes full responsibility for addressing this matter.”