Pictures: Sacha Kahaki
Just five months after having a stroke, Hamilton mum-of-two Ashleigh Hoeta became New Zealand’s arm-wrestling champion. And it seems incredible strength runs in the family as her sister Dariah is now a top contender too.
In April, Ashleigh became the Oceania women’s arm-wrestling champ, while Dariah won the under-75kg category on her left arm and placed second on her right. They’ve both qualified to go to Turkey for the East vs West finals this Friday. If either of them win there, they’ll go on to the World Championship in Florida next month.
It was bubbly 27-year-old Ashleigh that got involved in the sport first. Growing up, she was a competitive gymnast for 12 years with hopes of going to the Olympics. Sadly, her dreams were dashed when she tore a ligament that ended her gymnastics career.
However, Ashleigh – who is mum to seven-year-old Alaura-Jade and five-year-old Elijah – turned to powerlifting in 2019 and has broken records since she started. In November last year, she became the first woman in the world to bench- press more than 300kg when she lifted 317.5kg.
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In 2020, when she was just 24, Ashleigh suffered a stroke. She was travelling home from a competition when she had numbness in her leg. Initially, she put it down to pins and needles. But as the drive went on, it got worse. She called Healthline and noticed her face was drooping too. Someone called an ambulance and it took her to hospital, where she stayed for a week.
She went through a lot of physical rehabilitation, which involved moving the left side of her body more and then her right. “It took me about three months to fully get back to training again,” she recalls.
Sadly, in October 2023, she lost her father Ashley, who was the reason she started the sport in the first place.
“My dad had been on at me to give powerlifting a go, but I just thought men lift the heavy weights and women play netball,” she explains.
But when he was diagnosed with late-stage emphysema, she wanted to smash as many records as she could and get to the top of her game for him to see. So she gave it a go and the amount she could lift was immediately above average. Her determination saw her become the top powerlifter in New Zealand.
Six months later, she became New Zealand’s arm-wrestling champion, then six months later, world champ.
“We’re celebrating all these milestones and he was always my first call after a competition,” tells Ashleigh. “He’d be proud. He’d be so happy.”
Dariah, 20, adds, “I think Dad would be proud of us. He said when he was here, if he were to pass away, he knows we would be OK.”
Softly-spoken Dariah was just a teenager when Ashleigh started powerlifting and never really had much interest in doing it herself. However, she was on hand to help Ashleigh train in the lead-up to the competition where she qualified to go to Turkey.
At the last minute, Dariah was convinced to enter the competition herself and came out on top.
“I definitely did not see this coming,” Dariah marvels. “This was not on the cards for me.”
Ashleigh laughs, “Dariah would have definitely surprised Dad!”
She isn’t sure if it’s something she will pursue long-term, but for now, Dariah’s seeing where this journey takes her.
“I like the confidence that arm wrestling brings me and I’ve seen so much growth in myself,” she shares. “Seeing Ashleigh do it definitely gave me inspiration to give it a go.”
The sisters, who are originally from Waitara in Taranaki but now live in Hamilton, have had an intense training schedule in the lead-up to the competition.
Mondays they’re in the gym, on Tuesdays they work on grip, isolating certain muscles in their wrists, Wednesdays are for stretching and mobility, and Thursdays are leg day. Then on Fridays and Saturdays, they’re at the table arm wrestling.
As well as their all-consuming training, both women are studying too. Ashleigh is doing a Bachelor of Communication and Dariah is studying business, but she thinks she’d also like to do something creative like graphic design.
Some days, they still pinch themselves they’re competing in Turkey together.
“I’m looking forward to the entire experience and getting to do this with my sister is amazing,” enthuses Dariah.
But little Alaura-Jade and Elijah won’t be joining them. Ashleigh says she needs to be in the zone – not distracted by being in mum mode.
“We keep talking about Mummy going to Turkey and we go on kids’ YouTube channels to find things to show them where Turkey is. They’ve seen me from the start, so I hope when they grow up, they know they can do anything.”
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