Sybil Sohail
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| Nationality | Pakistani | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | c. 1993–1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Powerlifting / Weightlifting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Punjab University Sports Complex, Lahore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Rashid Malik | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sybil Sohail (born c. 1993–94) is a Pakistani powerlifter and weightlifter from Lahore. She is the eldest of four sisters known as "Power Girls", family of strength-sport athletes. In June 2025, she became the first Pakistani woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Weightlifting Masters Championship.[1]
Early life and education
Sybil was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. Her father, Sohail Javed Khokhar, has supported his daughters' athletic careers throughout. She began competing in powerlifting around 2013, the year in which Pakistan's government established a women's weightlifting and powerlifting division. Her younger sister Twinkle Sohail, who in 2015 became the first Pakistani woman to win an international powerlifting gold medal, is credited with introducing her to the sport.[2]
Sohail holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Science and Physical Education from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, and is pursuing a doctoral degree. She trains at the Punjab University Sports Complex under coach Rashid Malik, who also coaches her sisters.[1]
Career
Powerlifting
Sybil began competing in powerlifting nationally from around 2013. Her first major international breakthrough came at the 2017 International Oceania Pacific Powerlifting Championship in Singapore, where she won gold medals in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overall categories.[3]
In 2018, all four Sohail sisters competed together at the ABP Championship in Dubai. The Asian Powerlifting Federation noted that it was the first time in its history that four sisters competed at any powerlifting event and all four won medals.[3]
In 2024, Sybil, Twinkle, and Veronica competed at the Asian Pacific African Compound Powerlifting Championship in South Africa, winning a combined 15 gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze – with Sybil personally claiming six gold medals. She subsequently earned the titles of Commonwealth Powerlifting Champion and Asian Commonwealth Powerlifting Champion.[4][1]
By the time of the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships, Sybil had accumulated at least 20 international medals and 36 national medals across her career in powerlifting.[5]
Weightlifting
Though Sybil had long aspired to compete in Olympic weightlifting – a more technical discipline distinct from powerlifting – she missed the trials for Pakistan's national weightlifting squad for the 2016 South Asian Games due to a university exam conflict. She spent the following years training in both disciplines.[1]
On 30 May 2025, competing at the Asian Weightlifting Masters Championship in Doha, Qatar, Sybil entered the W-30 59 kg category – her first-ever appearance at an international weightlifting event. She lifted a total of 95 kg (40 kg in the snatch and 55 kg in the clean and jerk) to win the gold medal, becoming the first Pakistani woman to win gold at the Asian Weightlifting Masters Championship.[1][6]
Personal life
Sybil is a member of Pakistan's Christian community in Lahore. She and her sisters are among the very few athletes from Pakistani religious minority communities to achieve significant international recognition in strength sports. The family trains at a small academy near Mozang Chungi in Lahore, which operates as the Twinkle Sohail Academy and is open to any women who wish to train in weightlifting or powerlifting.[4]
Her father has publicly noted that despite their achievements, the sisters have received limited institutional or governmental financial support, with most competition expenses – including entry fees, doping tests, accommodation, and equipment – funded personally or through private sponsorship.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Sybil creates history for Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Weightlifting: The 'Dangal' Girls of Pakistan". Dawn. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Christian athlete makes history by becoming first Pakistani woman to win gold at Asian Weightlifting Championship". Christian Daily International. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 "'Power girls': Pakistani weightlifting sisters break stereotypes and records". Arab News Pakistan. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Weightlifter Sybil to create history for Pak". The Express Tribune. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Sybil Sohail Makes History as First Pakistani Woman to Win Gold at Asian Weightlifting Championship". Startup Pakistan. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.