Lara Wehbi, Nour Daoud, Dalia Zawil & Shiva Karout
Stories of powerlifters representing Lebanon
Powerlifting in Lebanon has increasingly become popular in recent years. Despite the tough situation in the country and general lack of resources for powerlifters, Shiva Karout, Nour Daoud, Dalia Zawil, and Lara Wehbi have defied the odds, emerging as ambassadors for their nation on the global powerlifting arena and casting a light on the flourishing popularity of this category within Lebanon itself.
All these athletes came to this sport in their own, unique path. Shiva began in 2014 as a hobby, but it was during his second-place win in a competition in Lebanon the following year that he realized his potential. In 2018, he decided to pursue powerlifting more seriously, traveling and competing internationally while focusing on promoting the sport in Lebanon.
Nour started in 2019. Her attraction to it was rooted in the mental aspects it offered. Training with her idol, Mireille Ajami, further fueled her passion and helped her develop toughness and a sense of empowerment.
Lara’s journey began three years ago, leveraging her strength from CrossFit and an impressive 100 kilo squat. Despite the limited number of female participants, she found inspiration in a few remarkable women, motivating her to push her limits and excel in the sport.
Dalia’s path to powerlifting was driven by her personal struggle with chronic back and knee pain. After unsuccessful attempts to find a solution through medical professionals, she took matters into her own hands during her Masters studies. Through research, she discovered the benefits of resistance and strength training, which gradually alleviated her pain. Her own transformation motivated her to help others facing similar struggles and propelled her deeper into the world of powerlifting.
Nour started in 2019. Her attraction to it was rooted in the mental aspects it offered. Training with her idol, Mireille Ajami, further fueled her passion and helped her develop toughness and a sense of empowerment.
Lara’s journey began three years ago, leveraging her strength from CrossFit and an impressive 100 kilo squat. Despite the limited number of female participants, she found inspiration in a few remarkable women, motivating her to push her limits and excel in the sport.
Dalia’s path to powerlifting was driven by her personal struggle with chronic back and knee pain. After unsuccessful attempts to find a solution through medical professionals, she took matters into her own hands during her Masters studies. Through research, she discovered the benefits of resistance and strength training, which gradually alleviated her pain. Her own transformation motivated her to help others facing similar struggles and propelled her deeper into the world of powerlifting.
Each of these athletes find their own joy in the sport. For Shiva, it’s the growing powerlifting community, which has brought him self-discovery and inner peace. Representing Lebanon is his ultimate goal, showcasing his country’s strength. Nour is drawn to the mental challenge of powerlifting and values the team dynamic. Lara thrives in powerlifting as an underdog sport, experiencing personal achievements and a sense of identity. Dalia’s love for powerlifting stems from defying labels of weakness, discovering her true strength, and finding empowerment in the supportive community.
Even though powerlifting has been a historically male dominated sport, both Nour and Lara expressed their positive experience in finding a space in the powerlifting community. Lara even noted that women shined more than men as they had enough space to excel and had great access to amazing coaches in their community in Beirut. However, Dalia faced challenges related to being a woman in powerlifting. She trained in her hometown of Nabatieh, a more conservative environment than Beirut and would face comments such as “you’re not supposed to be here,” or “you shouldn’t lift that as a girl, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” But with time, women began asking Dalia for advice on strength building and powerlifting, and Dalia began to use those questions as a platform to build her social media presence and respond to more questions from women athletes.
Each of these athletes find their own joy in the sport. For Shiva, it’s the growing powerlifting community, which has brought him self-discovery and inner peace. Representing Lebanon is his ultimate goal, showcasing his country’s strength. Nour is drawn to the mental challenge of powerlifting and values the team dynamic. Lara thrives in powerlifting as an underdog sport, experiencing personal achievements and a sense of identity. Dalia’s love for powerlifting stems from defying labels of weakness, discovering her true strength, and finding empowerment in the supportive community.
Even though powerlifting has been a historically male dominated sport, both Nour and Lara expressed their positive experience in finding a space in the powerlifting community. Lara even noted that women shined more than men as they had enough space to excel and had great access to amazing coaches in their community in Beirut. However, Dalia faced challenges related to being a woman in powerlifting. She trained in her hometown of Nabatieh, a more conservative environment than Beirut and would face comments such as “you’re not supposed to be here,” or “you shouldn’t lift that as a girl, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” But with time, women began asking Dalia for advice on strength building and powerlifting, and Dalia began to use those questions as a platform to build her social media presence and respond to more questions from women athletes.
Injuries in their journey are a major and common challenge for these powerlifters. Besides the physical impairments of an injury, they also create some mental blocks. Nour experienced lower back pain in the national competition, and experienced a great deal of stress due to the consequences of constantly thinking about the pain and worrying about its impact on her performance. Shiva expressed that “the injury is more than physical; it’s mental because it sets you back. But as a powerlifter, you have to break the fear of getting injured again, and climb back to get back to where you were.” Dalia echoed Shiva’s comment but pointed out “the gift of injuries,” where someone does not realize how lucky they are to be healthy and to be able to walk on two feet until they get injured.
Amidst the deteriorating political and economic situation in Lebanon, all these powerlifters agreed on the lack of resources that a powerlifter has in comparison to powerlifters in other countries. Being an athlete in this sport requires a great deal of financial investment—powerlifters in Lebanon pay for their own tickets, hotels, gym membership, and gear. Nour and Dalia remarked that despite the tremendous potential of powerlifters in Lebanon, the lack of funds, right equipment, and/or resources to support their training hinders their capabilities.
For all these athletes, competing on the global powerlifting stage is another way to represent Lebanon. When asked about any pressures that they face, Nour stated that “we don’t necessarily have pressure to represent Lebanon because we do it with love,” while Lara remarked that “the reason we love our country is because it is broken and we need to keep something intact and something to be proud of. That’s why we fight so hard.”
Injuries in their journey are a major and common challenge for these powerlifters. Besides the physical impairments of an injury, they also create some mental blocks. Nour experienced lower back pain in the national competition, and experienced a great deal of stress due to the consequences of constantly thinking about the pain and worrying about its impact on her performance. Shiva expressed that “the injury is more than physical; it’s mental because it sets you back. But as a powerlifter, you have to break the fear of getting injured again, and climb back to get back to where you were.” Dalia echoed Shiva’s comment but pointed out “the gift of injuries,” where someone does not realize how lucky they are to be healthy and to be able to walk on two feet until they get injured.
Amidst the deteriorating political and economic situation in Lebanon, all these powerlifters agreed on the lack of resources that a powerlifter has in comparison to powerlifters in other countries. Being an athlete in this sport requires a great deal of financial investment—powerlifters in Lebanon pay for their own tickets, hotels, gym membership, and gear. Nour and Dalia remarked that despite the tremendous potential of powerlifters in Lebanon, the lack of funds, right equipment, and/or resources to support their training hinders their capabilities.
For all these athletes, competing on the global powerlifting stage is another way to represent Lebanon. When asked about any pressures that they face, Nour stated that “we don’t necessarily have pressure to represent Lebanon because we do it with love,” while Lara remarked that “the reason we love our country is because it is broken and we need to keep something intact and something to be proud of. That’s why we fight so hard.”
