Stephanie celebrates her achievement at Gold Coast, Australia.
KUCHING: Stephanie Mary Ensol did Sarawak and Malaysia proud when she won a silver medal at the IPF Asian Pacific Classic and Equipped Powerlifting and Bench Press Championship at Gold Coast, Australia from March 12 to 17.
The 31-year-old from Serian was placed first on bench press, second on deadlift and second overall.
The championship involved 36 countries including 26 from Asia.
“First of all, I would like to thank the Sarawak Sports Corporation and the Sarawak State Sports Council for sponsoring my trip to Australia.
“I would also like to thank my coach Neil Pick and also my family members who always given me strong support,” she said.
Stephanie took up weightlifting four and a half years ago with the initial goal of gaining weight.
She succeeded by working out 12 hours a day, with no day off.
After a few months of training, her love for strength sports grew.
Her first powerlifting competition was four years ago which led to her decision to pursue the sport more seriously.
After looking for the right federation to compete in, she settled for IPF as it is a drug-tested federation and allow athletes to compete at the highest level internationally, as she hoped to be able to represent her country.
Stephanie, who is from a very humble background, has worked very hard.
It has paid dividends and this latest achievement is indeed a dream come true for her.