Johannesburg - Surina Devnarain has shown a keen interest in powerlifting since she was a little girl.
Despite it being a male-dominated sport, it was love at first sight for the 18-year-old from Northcliff High School in Johannesburg.
With her dad, well-known actor Jack Devnarain, and her brother passionate about powerlifting, it almost seemed a certainty that Surina, too, would follow in the footsteps of her family members.
“My family is quite active in the gym and love to keep fit, so I started going to the gym a few years back,” said Surina.
“I enjoyed exploring different types of training. I realised that I loved to lift just like my dad and brother. Since then I suppose powerlifting chose me.”
Despite being an under-appreciated sport in South Africa, it didn’t hold Surina back.
“My first experience of powerlifting was when I watched my brother compete in his first meet. I will never forget that feeling when I watched these extraordinary lifters on that platform.
“They created a supportive atmosphere and they supported each other. I was thrilled by the fight of every lift, the intensity of it all. I knew then that I wanted to be a lifter.”
And Surina hasn’t looked back since.
Now a registered powerlifter with the South African Powerlifting Federation, which is affiliated with the IPF, she has grown from strength to strength in the sport.
Most recently, the Grade 12 learner won gold medals at both the provincial and national powerlifting championships.
Surina won the female sub-junior 57kg division with her combined total of 222.5kg (a total of her best attempts in squats, bench press and deadlift) at the Gauteng Championships.
This allowed her to compete in the same division at the South African Powerlifting Championships, where she also won gold.
Her gold medal wins in the regional and national championships have qualified Surina to compete at the IPF World Junior Powerlifting Championship in Türkiye next month.
While delighted to have qualified for the World Junior Powerlifting Championship, her dream of competing overseas hangs in the balance.
With no funding or backing from the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), the 18-year-old had to find a way of coming up with about R100 000 by herself for her flights, accommodation and food, as well as for her coach, the legendary Rodney Anthony, and her parents Jack and Pam.
Surina has started a Back-a-Buddy campaign in the hope of raising the funds in time for the championships next month.
She is desperate to compete in her first international lifting championship and wants to put South African women on the map in the sport of powerlifting.
“We are still in the process of fund-raising and it’s difficult to get sponsors because no one really sees the opportunity in the sport. Finding sponsors is difficult, but I’m so grateful to the ones that have helped with funding so far.
“When we started the publicity for the Back-a-Buddy account we were very encouraged by the support. We are 20% and counting to reaching our goal.”
She said getting no support from the government when representing your country was difficult to understand.
“Having no financial help from government makes maintaining a lifting career difficult because athletes are forced to rely on their own limited resources. Athletes work hard to get to an international level, and everything becomes more expensive the higher you go. Money should not be a limiting issue, especially at an international level.”
She said not being able to compete in Türkiye would be devastating for her and her growing powerlifting career.
“I worked really hard to get to where I am and it would be heartbreaking to lose the opportunity of a lifetime.”
However, Surina remains positive and is hoping that come August she will be jumping on a plane to Türkiye.
She says while she doesn’t have any expectations for the tournament, she believes she can do well.
“It is my very first world championship and I'm feeling so excited. I am a little nervous about it too. I want to make my coach, my family and myself proud and I am putting in the effort to get the results I want to achieve.
“I don't have expectations for now because anything can happen on the day. My goal is just to get 9/9 lifts and to enjoy the experience.”
Her current personal records for squats, bench and deadlift sit at 100kg for squats, 45kg at bench press and 95kg for deadlift.
Speaking about her love for the sport, the teen said it was a very empowering feeling as a woman to be a powerlifting champion.
“Women in sport are rarely taken seriously. In some cases when a woman is good at her sport, she is seen as being ‘manly’ and not as ‘an exceptional woman athlete’. Winning gold in powerlifting really proves that we as women are powerful, competitive and that we deserve recognition in our own right.
“A woman in her sport can be taken just as seriously as a man in his sport. That to me is empowerment and that is what I want to represent as a female powerlifter.”
Despite it being a male-dominated sport, Surina said the tide is finally turning slowly as more and more women get involved in powerlifting.
“I believe that powerlifting is becoming more progressive with the sport featuring more female lifters. I have lifted with some amazing women who I will also have the honour of competing against in the World Champs in Türkiye.
“I believe that the perception of ‘powerlifting is a sport for men’ is changing. Powerlifting can no longer be associated with men only because there are some phenomenal women whose achievements cannot be ignored in this sport.”
Meanwhile, her dad, Jack, said he was incredibly proud of his daughter and hoped to see her compete in Türkiye next month.
“I have always had a sense that she has the genetics for powerlifting. But for all the potential in the world, you still have to prove your worth on the platform.
“I really want her to be in contention for a medal, but this is her first outing at this level so I would be very happy if she found a place in the top 10. The value of the experience at her age is worth more than any medal.”
To help Surina compete in Türkiye, visit her Back-a-Buddy page on https://www.backabuddy.co.za/surina-devnarain