Dr Martine Barons from The University of Warwick has taken both the European and World records at the European Championships in Finland over the weekend.
Martine not only took both European and World records in her division, but also lifted a personal best deadlift of 140kg, breaking some of her own records, set just three weeks ago at the Amateur British Powerlifting Union (ABPU) British Single Lift Championships.
These new records come just a few weeks after winning her division at one of the ABPU Qualifier Competitions, just one year after Martine joined a gym.
Martine first tried deadlifting for the first at Christmas under the instruction of her academic colleague and friend, Miss Virgo, who has 10 years' experience as a personal trainer. Martine squeezes in weight training three times a week alongside working full time as the Director of Applied Statistics and Risk Unit at The University of Warwick.
Dr Martine Barons said, "It's been quite a whirlwind, and I am enjoying learning a great deal. Clearly the hardest part is performing well enough to qualify for the next stage. All competitors are expected to find their own funding, so that is an additional challenge, especially travelling for international competitions. It would be great to find appropriate sponsors so I can take up the invitation the Worlds."
Her hard work is paying off as she can now deadlift 140kg (22st), squat 80kg (12.6st) and bench press 55kg (8.7st). Martine is now training to represent Great Britain in the World Championships in the Summer where she will compete in the Masters 5 category for age 60-64, in the RAW division (no knee wraps or other assistive equipment) and in the under 90kg weight class
