AGE IS JUST A NUMBER FOR 82-YEAR-OLD POWERLIFTER
Faith O'Reilly, an 82-year-old grandmother from Colorado, is prepared to challenge the notion that powerlifting, a strength sport that involves lifting the most weight possible, is only for young, muscular athletes. In an exciting development, she will soon have the opportunity to demonstrate her skills at a national competition.
O'Reilly, who was born in St. Louis, relocated to Des Moines with her family. She later learned about weightlifting while attending the University of Iowa. She told the National Senior Games, "I kind of hooked in with some folks who were doing weightlifting while I was in law school, and they invited me to go to a powerlifting event with them." "Well, I can do that," I thought as I watched it. And she did. O'Reilly was so dedicated to the game that he won several state titles. She finally stopped lifting altogether, though, as a result of having less and less time to train after moving to St. Paul, Minnesota, for work.
When O'Reilly retired in 2007, she fell in love with the sport again. She settled in Saguache, Colorado, after falling in love with the small town when travelling with her granddaughter in the past. She resumed lifting since she had more free time and was surrounded by fresh air and green scenery. She can work out whenever and however she wants because she even has her own gym with unique safety bars. She now joins the illustrious ranks of Nora Langdon, 81, and lifter Catherine Kuehn, 95.
After seeing the advantages of this discipline, O'Reilly suggests it to everyone who can practice it, not just seniors. Overall, it's beneficial to your physical health, though as you become older, you may experience issues with bone density and muscle tone loss, she says. Thus, this keeps you in shape. I still undertake a lot of the lodge's chores and outdoor yard work myself.
O'Reilly was the oldest competitor overall at the 2024 Summer Showdown and Team Cup in Colorado, where she last participated. According to her most recent statistics, she had lifted 281.1 pounds in total, which included 132.2 pounds in deadlifting, 66.1 pounds in benchlifting, and 77.1 pounds in squats.
Regarding competing, O'Reilly states, "In addition to the workout, it provides you the chance to be involved in an athletic experience, and the people that do this are a very open and friendly group of people." "You get assistance and form a lot of connections."
The octogenarian will now participate in the National Senior Games, which will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, from July 24 to August 4. O'Reilly is prepared to compete as the oldest female powerlifter in the sport, which is making its debut this year. "Seeing and interacting with those who are enjoying being more fit than the rest of our age group is extremely wonderful," she exclaims.
“You know, the oldest person who competed in Pittsburgh was 103, so that gives me a goal.”