Female Powerlifters take home the Gold!
Published: Thursday, January 23, 2014
For the past few years in Ireland an increasing number of women have been practising weight training and powerlifting. In fact, The Irish Drug Free Powerlifting Association (IDFPA) doubled its number of female lifters in 2013, and the Irish team gave a remarkable performance during the World Championship in Glasgow during the year.
In this predominantly male sport, acknowledgment of female participants and their achievements has been low. But we would like to congratulate four very strong, successful women, Arlette Bomahou and Linh Nguyen, who won the Powerlifting World Champion title in 2013, and Emer O’Driscoll and Siobhan Hynes who each took home a silver medal!
Arlette shared her story with us, which you can read below, and also a little information about why more women do powerlifting than ever before!
Arlette Bomahou, whose mother is from Togo, is 38 years of age, competes in the 90kg+ category and lives in Sandyford with her boyfriend Ciaran. She decided to represent the Irish team for the Powerlifting World Championship in Glasgow last month and received her first World title in the 90kg + category (Back Squat 102.5, Bench Press 62.5, Deadlift 160kg).
(Arlette in action)
She says: ‘’I have been doing weight training for the past 10 years in order to get into better shape and live a healthier life style. It has helped me to lose up to 10 kg but more importantly to improve my body shape and level of fitness. If it was not for my personal trainer Adrian Quinn with whom I have been working since 2010, I would never have tried to compete in Powerlifting. He saw potential in me I was not aware of. In 2011 he suggested that I should compete, but I didn’t have enough confidence back then. In August this year I turned 38 years old and I decided I needed to achieve something for myself before I turned 40. So I jumped in at the deep end by participating in my first competition in Cork in the Mardyke stadium. Since then I fell in love with this sport.’’
Women are not expected to compete in this sport, while at the same time it gives such a feeling of pride and achievement. Arlette and Linh tell us how Powerlifting has empowered them, changed their lives and has been their biggest achievement to date.
Arlette Bomahou: ‘’Getting my first World Champion title after competing for only three months is the biggest achievement in my life. All those years of hard work in the gym have paid off. All the times someone told me something negative about my shape has given me the extra motivation to work harder in the gym. Great results come with great effort. I would not have achieved all of that on my own. I have had great support from my other trainer Conor Sinott this year and from my boyfriend Ciaran. My work colleagues in Microsoft and friends have been an amazing support too. I get a lot of likes and positive reactions on Facebook. Finally the other lifters are great support too, and our team Captain Tomas Cuddihy and referee Peter Lucey have been incredible helpful. They encourage us , provide us with all the tips and coordinate most events. Each competition feels like a family reunion, I feel like I have made new friends.’’
Linh Nguyen is a strong role model for her children, although it’s a challenge to be a mother as well as a Powerlifter. she manages to do both. Her biggest achievement to date is breaking the World Squat Record – 115.5 kg at 55 kg bodyweight at the World Championship in Glasgow – and becoming number one in the female rankings in Ireland 2013.
How does she do it?
’’A lot of times, I would have to bring the kids into training with me. Or I would try to fit in a quick session through my lunch break from college… I suppose its down to how much you want it! If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to get it. I did put a lot of hard work, effort and dedication into training.
I was never really a competitive person. I guess training and competing in powerlifting brought out the competitiveness in me. I feel good about myself, feel awarded when I see my hard work pay off, it’s the sense of success. I see it as a great way to be a role model to my children: If you want something, you gotta work for it! ’’
So if Powerlifting sounds like something you might be interested in, check out http://www.idfpa.net/ or email Arlette at arlette.bomahou@gmail.com
As Arlette cleverly quotes the words of Nike founder, Bill Bowerman, “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. Well Arlette and Linh have certainly proved that to be true, so well done to all from all at NWCI and keep up the great work!
See Arlette in action in her Youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku1QjPmL4t4&list=PLxbMfyHY_0uPZwqkENd1fmDhxALgUlpFF&index=18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfufmmgBo0w&list=PLxbMfyHY_0uPZwqkENd1fmDhxALgUlpFF&index=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-n4iNhq1UE&list=PLxbMfyHY_0uPZwqkENd1fmDhxALgUlpFF
The views expressed in NWCI's Blog do not necessarily represent those of NWCI