Competing in the 87.5kg squat at the World Championships in Dusseldorf.
A relative newcomer to the sport Deirdre began lifting with the power lifting team in UCC in April of last year and progressed rapidly through the ranks as she explained to the Munster Express.
“I really wanted to do something to help me stay fit and as I’m not particularly athletic I decided to give the power lifting a go. I would have been used to doing weights in the gym so it seemed like a fairly natural progression. I enjoyed it very much from the first day. The team in UCC is small but we do very well. We train hard and have been very successful in the past year in any competitions we’ve entered”.
Deirdre’s team is affiliated to the Irish Drug Free Powerlifting Association which was established in 1997 to promote the sport of Drug Free Powerlifting in Ireland. The association has a strict drug free policy and lifters are subject to test both in and out of competition. Lifters who fail to take or fail a test are subject to a life ban from the organization.
The drama and theatre studies student sticks to a strict programme of training, exercise and diet but doesn’t feel she is missing out on a student’s social life. “I don’t really lead a typical student life in that I do not spend a lot of time socialising and I would only go out a few times in the term. There’s no point in training really hard every week, watching what I eat very carefully and the then blowing it all away for the sake of a few nights out. We train very hard. Our sessions are very intensive and we all have our own tailor made programmes. Having enough energy is hugely important and therefore the proper diet and plenty of sleep is absolutely essential”.
Deirdre is hoping to continue her excellent form at the European Championships which will be held in Gorey, Co Wexford in September.
“I just want to keep improving. I am hoping to better the numbers I recorded in Dusseldorf. If I can improve a bit all the time I’ll be happy”.
The European Single Lifts Championships will be held in Gorey from September 12th to 14th.
