65-year-old Briton Martine Barrons has won her third world powerlifting title, just a few years after she started training with weights during the pandemic.
The Stratford-upon-Avon teacher, known as the “grandmother of the deadlift“, triumphed at the AWPC World Championships in the 65-85 category on September 14. The six-day competition features over 450 athletes from 16 countries.
Curiously, Barrons discovered strength training relatively late. During the lockdown in the UK, she attended a seminar on women's health in menopause, where she heard the recommendation that women should include more weight training in their training regimen.
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A colleague from the University of Warwick, who also works as a personal trainer, taught her how to deadlift properly. Soon after, training turned from a hobby into a competitive passion.
“I can see a huge change in my physique and in what I can do. I'm convinced my body is at least 20 years younger“, Martin Barrens tells the BBC.
Just two years after her first touch with the bar, the Briton has competed in 16 powerlifting competitions. Her successes have gradually taken her to British, European and world championships.
“When I was invited to the British and European championships, I said to myself: “If they've invited me, it would be rude not to go“. But who would have guessed that it would all come to this? "I certainly don't," she says.