TWO Southside ladies have returned from the Powerlifting World Championships in Glasgow having done their communities proud.
French woman Arlette Bomahou, who now lives in Sandyford, came back from the championship with a World champion title.
The Powerlifting World Championships that are organised by the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation took place in Scotstoun Stadium.
A total of 160 lifters from all over the world competed in the exciting event.
The Irish came first with a team of 54 lifters including 41 men and 13 ladies. They beat the British, American, Canadian and French teams who had very strong lifters.
Each competitor has to qualify in national and European championships in order to compete in the world event.
With 300 members all over Ireland, the Irish Drug Free Powerlifting Association (IDFPA) was established in 1997 to promote the sport.
The association has a strict drug free policy and lifters are subject to tests both in and out of competition.
Those who fail to take or fail a test are subject to a life ban from the organisation.
The sport of powerlifting comprises three lifts: the Back Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift.
Powerlifting competitions may be comprised of one, two or all three of the lifting disciplines.
Athletes are categorised by sex, age and bodyweight. Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift, the best lift in each discipline being added to their total.
The lifter with the highest total is the winner. In cases where two or more lifters achieve the same total, the person with the lightest bodyweight wins.
Arlette, who is originally from Togo, has been part of the IDFPA since August.
The 38-year-old decided to represent the Irish team and received her first World title in the 90kg + category (Back Squat 102.5, Bench Press 62.5 , Deadlift 160kg).
“If it was not for my personal trainer, Adrian Quinn, I would never have tried to compete in powerlifting,
? she said.
“I have trained for years in the gym but never competed before.
“The whole adventure started in August this year. I fell in love with this sport after my first competition. I have had great support from my other trainer Conor Sinott since June.
“He saw potential in me that I didn’t think I had. My boyfriend Ciaran supported me over all that time. I would wake up at 5am in the morning to go to the gym.
“At the time I was not training for any competition but he always encouraged me to keep working out hard. Getting my first world champion title was the cherry on top. The atmosphere was electric, with amazing people and it was an amazing experience with everyone cheering for one another.
“I feel blessed and lucky to have been part of this event.”
Powerlifting in Ireland has become increasingly popular, especially among women.
The IDFPA has doubled the number of female lifters this year and 40 of their 400 members are women.
The incredible performance of the Irish team during the World Championship in Glasgow attracted a high number of new joiners.
Another winner was Linh Duy Nguyen, who set a world record.
Linh, a mum of two from South Dublin also travelled to Glasgow to the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) World Championships as part of the Irish national team.
“I was really nervous but it was exciting going into the competition as it was my first time being on such a big stage, the standard was very high,
? said Linh.
Linh qualified as gym instructor in May and is currently training to be a personal trainer at Crumlin College of Further Education.
She competes in the -55.5kg weight class, and put on a very strong performance to win Gold for Ireland and in the process set a new World Record Squat of 115.5kg at 55kg body weight.
“I was over the moon when I hit the squat, it’s the culmination of months of hard work and it all paid off in that moment,
? she added.
Having taking up the sport just over eight months ago under the watch of her coach Jay Farrant of the the Abs Gym in Glasnevin, Linh has achieved a huge amount in a short period of time and is currently the highest ranked female powerlifter in Ireland.
The next major competition for Linh is the Irish Drug Free Powerlifiting Association (IDFPA) National single lift championships that will take place in Dublin in February.
To find out more on the sport of powerlifting in Ireland and the IDFPA visit www.idfpa.net or find the IDFPA on Facebook.