![Gold medal winning student](https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/student-news-gold-medal.jpg)
Sarah Ellis, a PhD student in Hispanic Studies at the University of Liverpool, recently clinched the gold medal in the u56kg Female Raw Division at the AWPC-WPC European Powerlifting Championships.
The event took place from June 9-15 in Salo, Finland, and Sarah’s victory is especially impressive considering she only recently started powerlifting. She shares her experience with us:
“Embarking on a PhD can be a stressful and isolating time. It’s easy to let our physical and mental health go, but I found the best way for me to counteract the long hours spent in the library was by going to the gym and lifting weights.”
“This is something I only started as recently as the pandemic. Over the last year and a half, I began a start known as powerlifting, This is where I perform three heavy compound lifts – the squat, the bench press and the deadlift – and my best total is combined along with my bodyweight to give me a score (also known as ‘dots’).”
“I moved into taking the sport more seriously and entered competitions to give myself more of a goal and keep my focus and motivation high. This led to me qualifying for the AWPC European Powerlifting Championships, which I represented Team GB at in Finland last month, and it is with pride I write to let you know that I finished top of my weight class, placing gold in the u56kg Female Raw Division.”
“I’m so pleased to be able to share my passion for sport to other students at Liverpool, and reaffirm the message that women really can be as strong as they dream!”