Two powerlifters from the Holroyd area enjoyed a successful campaign representing Australia at the Asia Oceania Championships, which were held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in December.
Maer Jimenez and Mirelle Khoury both train at Adonis Athletics, Castle Hill, under the guidance of coaches William Le and Carlos Martinez.
Powerlifting competitions are made up of three disciplines; bench press, back squat and deadlift, which all amount to an overall score.
Jimenez took out the gold medal for back squat in the open women’s 63 kilograms, with a weight of 137.5kg, best bench press, and best deadlift, lifting 180kg.
Jimenez brought home four medals and placed second overall in the open women’s division, which was a nice surprize for the 34-year-old from Merrylands.
“During the presentation people were saying ‘Maer you’ve got to go up’, and I was like ‘What are you talking about?’
“Just to get there is an achievement, but I wasn’t expecting to be the second-strongest.”
Jimenez was joined in Tashkent by Bethany Parker and Mirelle Khoury, from Guildford, who train at Castle Hill.
Competing in an overseas competition was a big step up for Khoury, who had never been outside of Australia before the championships.
The 22-year-old got a silver medal in back squat and bench press, and won gold in deadlift, which saw her finish first overall in the junior 84+ kg division.
Her deadlift of 187.5kg was a junior Australian record and was something she has been striving for since she started powerlifting.
“Sometimes it’s your mental strength that gets you over the hurdles, rather than your physical strength,” she said.
Both have their sights on competing at the world championships, which will be held in Texas later this year.
Courtesy of: Parramatta Sun