WITH HISTORY on the line, Thomasian powerlifter Alaine Mitra did not just raise iron—she raised the bar for Philippine powerlifting.
Mitra delivered a record-breaking performance at the 2025 Luzon Equipped Powerlifting Championship held from April 9 to 13, at Robinsons Place Las Piñas.
Competing in the under 43-kilogram college and novice divisions, the Psychology sophomore from the UST College of Science shattered national records in the bench press, deadlift and total lift and walked away with two gold medals.
“I was really surprised that I broke records—it was completely unexpected,” the 20-year-old lifter told The Flame.
“Even my coaches didn’t tell me right away… They waited until I was done with all my lifts,” she added.
The path to gold wasn’t without hurdles. During the weigh-ins on the morning of the competition, Mitra tipped the scales at 43.1 kg, just 0.1kg above the limit for her category.
Determined to qualify, she cut the excess weight through walks and quick trips to the restroom, eventually clocking in at 42.95 kg just an hour before the meet began.
“I got weighed in at 11:30 a.m., and the competition started at 12:30 p.m. I barely had time to eat,” she said.
Mitra revealed that the rushed preparation affected her opening squat attempts, but she carried on and managed to clear 65 kg on her first try before failing to lift 70 kg twice. The tide turned during the bench press, which she considers her strongest event.
“I was already well-fed and hydrated by then, and I knew I was ready to break a record,” she said.
After breezing through her first attempt at 32.5 kg, Mitra tied the national record of 35 kg in her second lift, matching the benchmark set by Jena Mae Neri in 2015.
On her final attempt, she made history by benching 37.5 kg to officially eclipse a decade-old record.
“It felt amazing. I was ecstatic backstage, celebrating with my coaches and teammates,” she said.
With adrenaline still high, Mitra pushed on to the deadlift segment. Despite fatigue setting in, she powered through with a first lift that also broke the 90 kg national record held by Daryll Ann Ancuelo for 10 years.
Her second attempt at 100 kg was clean and quick, but her final lift at 105 kg was considered a no-lift due to technicalities.
Her performance in the deadlift and overall total of 202.5 kg broke two more national records, surpassing Ancuelo’s 195 kg mark set in 2014.
“My goal was really just to break the bench press record. The deadlift and total records were unexpected,” Mitra said.
Having only started powerlifting in November 2024, Mitra was initially drawn to gym training as a hobby. She chose powerlifting over bodybuilding, finding it more aligned with her personal goals.
She trains three to four times a week under the guidance of coaches Willord Capulong and Joyce Gail Reboton, an international athlete and Guinness World Record holder.
Mitra is a member of both the UST Golden Barbell team and the KILOS Powerlifting club.
“This is just the beginning of my journey as a powerlifter,” Mitra said.
“I’m grateful to UST for the opportunity, and I’m excited to see how far I can go, nationally, in Asia, and even internationally.” F
