Rumbewas was born in 1980 into a family of bodybuilder Levi Rumbewas and weightlifter Ida Korwa. She competed in the women's 48 and 53 kg weight categories. In Sydney 2000 she won the silver medal with a total of 185 kg, the same as the champion, Tara Nott of the USA. Before the next Olympic Games she switched to the 53 kg category. In Athens she came second again, this time with a total of 210 kg.

In Beijing 2008 Rumbewas was fourth with a total of 206 kg. But in 2016, following the IOC's re-analysis of samples from the 2008 Beijing Games, bronze medallist Nastassia Novikava of Belarus was disqualified for testing positive for oral turinabol and stanozolol, and Rumbewas was awarded the bronze medal.

Rambewas also won a silver medal at the 2006 World Championships and finished third at the 2002 Asian Games. After retiring, she started coaching children in her hometown of Jayapura.

"As Chairman General of the National Sports Committee of Central Indonesia and as a representative of the sports community, I offer my condolences. Hopefully, Lisa will find a noble place in the sight of the Most Merciful God. Her contributions as a sports patriot will always be remembered. She motivated the Indonesian weightlifters to achieve," said KONI Chairman Lt. Gen. TNI Purn Marciano Norman.