Power Angels Celia McMillan and Aimee Hayes are amped and ready for their first ever international competition.
The two Richmond women have been competing in powerlifting for 16 years between them and this week’s Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship at the Vodafone Manukau Events Centre is easily their biggest with 500 competitors taking part from across the globe.
Powerlifting is a strength-based sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. Because there are just three attempts, competitors strategize which weight to enter in, in order to be competitive and to be successful in all nine attempts.
Both Celia, who is in the under 52kg weight class, and Aimee, who is in the under 63kg weight class, will be competing in the three lift section, where the winner will be the person with the highest combined total. Celia says she was “fairly even” across all three disciplines but probably favoured her benchpress. Her personal bests are; squat 140kg, benchpress 93kg and deadlift 140kg, while Aimee’s are; squat 152.5kg, benchpress 77.5 kg and deadlift 152.5kg.
Aimee says there will be plenty of strategizing to see what her opponents are lifting. “They might be chasing you or you might be chasing them so you need to take that into consideration.”
Each competitor had to post their nationals total so everyone was well aware of who the top lifters are. But even knowing what her opponents are capable of, Celia kept quiet of her own aspirations. “We’re humble and we don’t want to count out chickens before they hatch. Every competition your goal should be to PB, even if that’s by 2.5kg, it’s still a PB. At least personal bests, but who knows on the day.”
Aimee and Celia say they have worked really hard to be selected and are excited to be representing New Zealand at this event, and are supported by sponsors Accessman, Health 2000, Fusion Fertilizer, Evolve Gym and Fresh Choice Richmond.
The Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship also doubled as the Oceania Championship and runs from December 4 until December 8.
