A powerlifter who was disqualified following an alleged racially motivated act has said she "does not feel safe" when competing, and says black athletes are frequently booed in com…

A powerlifter who alleged she was subjected to a racially motivated act that she says led to her disqualification from an event has said she "does not feel safe" when competing. Belgium's Sonita Muluh was attempting a record 334.5kg squat at the Powerlifting Championships in Lithuania in June when Ernestas Kusinas - a 'spotter' who helps to ensure the validity of an attempted lift - touched the weights with his knee. Muluh was disqualified and not allowed to reattempt the lift by judges, who ruled on a separate technical infringement. But police in Lithuania have launched a criminal investigation after Kusinas later wrote on Instagram: "I am racist, and ⁠I did it intentionally." A police spokesperson told Reuters the investigation will focus on the Instagram message and events at the championship, with a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Kusinas told Reuters his Instagram comment was written out of anger after he was accused of racism by an unidentified social media user, and was intended not as a statement but as a mockery of the accusation. He has been handed a lifetime ban by the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation, and his social media accounts have since been switched to private. "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," Muluh told BBC Sport.