Overwhelmed with pride, the Lifted Strength and Nutrition team were flowing with a sense of achievement after walking away from a recent competition with nine Australian records and five medals.
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At the Nemesis Fitness hosted event, husband and wife coaching duo, Dylan (1) and Hannah (8) McDonald proved they are the ultimate role models for their team, having set the new round of records.
"We had a plan to set those particular records, so we have a real sense of achievement. Things didn't necessarily go to plan on the day but we came home with what we went there for," Hannah said.
"There were over 40 competitors from across the state on the day which made it even harder because we were unaware of who our direct competitors were.
"During the COVID period it was difficult to maintain the level of motivation and dedication towards our training but we persevered and it ended up paying off."
Collecting the medals for the Lifted squad were Rachel Howarth (gold women's overall), Hannah McDonald (gold women's overall) Jaimie Chounding (silver women's overall), Rhys Bartholomew (silver men's overall) and Johnathen Hall (bronze men's overall).
Having seen her teammates' journey from start to present, Hannah admits she couldn't contain her tears once the awards were distributed.
"I cried, I physically cried at the ceremony. We were aware that a couple of them would have had placings but it was the ones who really took me off guard...it was very heartfelt. We were just overwhelmed with pride in all of them because they work so hard," she said.
"We were really excited about the medals because they're people who have had a long term goal and haven't been training for that long so it was quite an achievement.
"What makes it even more exciting for them is the medals were for women and men overall, they had to beat all classes and divisions.
"Our success relies heavily on the support and encouragement of the community. We have amazing sponsors behind us that really allow us to get to the point where we can do what we do."
The squad now look to join Hannah at Nationals by attempting to place in upcoming competitions.
Results:
Australian records:
- Hannah McDonald (equipt powerlifting) - four Sub Masters records, four weight class records
- Dylan McDonald (raw powerlifting) - Australia All-Time Sub Masters deadlift record (330kgs)
Medals:
- Rachel Howarth (gold women's overall)
- Hannah McDonald (gold women's overall)
- Jaimie Chounding (silver women's overall)
- Rhys Bartholomew (silver men's overall)
- Johnathen Hall (bronze men's overall).
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