Since starting weightlifting in January 2022, Upper Sixth student Hannah Karpal has literally gone from strength to strength! Over the summer, she represented Great Britain at the World Powerlifting Championships which were held in Romania.
Hannah shares her experience of the competition:
“At the end of August, I travelled to Romania for the World Women’s Junior Powerlifting Championships. As soon as I arrived, I could feel the competitiveness and excitement of the many other athletes from countries all over the world.
“Watching the lifting, as well as competing myself, allowed me to experience the exhilarating and encouraging atmosphere in the crowd. Overall, I achieved 8th place.”
Hannah had moved into a new category –57kg and competed against 12 athletes from Singapore, US, Canada, France, Norway, South Africa, Japan, Czechia and Finland. The competition was extremely high, with seven World Records in the Sub-Junior Division being achieved in her category. Hannah had made big improvements since her performance at last year’s competition, achieving a 100kg squat, 57.5kg bench press and a 132.5kg deadlift to place her in 8th position. Congratulations on a fantastic achievement!
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Hannah continues, “Some of my highlights from the competition include making really close friends from the GB team, as well as people from other countries like Japan, New Zealand, Canada and the US. Meeting so many people in an international setting is a unique experience I’m very grateful for.
“Finally, I’ve learnt that going to an international competition isn’t just about competing, but also about the people – meeting them, learning from them and building connections around the world. I am now continuing training in preparation for the European Championships which is coming up in October.”
Hannah was crowned the British Junior Champion in the U18 under 57kg category in May, with three PBs, and has been training with the GB squad in the run up to the World Championships.
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