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Your stories: Meet powerlifter Cherry Wilson

The pint-sized powerhouse came late to her sport but has made up for lost time.
Cherry Wilson.

I’m a 63-year-old powerlifter who can lift 115kg. I live in Auckland and I have won many national, Oceania and Commonwealth titles in my chosen sport.

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My age and the fact that I’m short and petite can be very misleading. People expect powerlifters to have huge muscles. During a competition, I walked onto the stage and a young man in the audience said, “Look at that little old lady! She’s going to try and lift those weights.” And that’s exactly what I did – 105kg to be exact. He was speechless. We didn’t hear much of him after that.

My dedication to exercise started when I was 31. I was so unfit and wanted to change my lifestyle. I started running late at night, between the powerpoles, when it was dark because I didn’t want anyone to see me.

Gradually, I caught the fitness bug. I started to do marathons and other physical activities.

It was six years ago that my trainer suggested I try my hand at powerlifting. What better way to challenge myself, I thought. Now, the gym is my life. Slowly I entered competitions and I did really well. I did take a break from powerlifting three years ago, to try bodybuilding for a year, before returning to the powerlifting stage.

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Cherry’s trainer Josh Syme is proud of her achievements.

Some people, before they meet me, think I’m going to be 6ft and weigh 100kg. But being shorter is an advantage. The closer to the ground the better, because you don’t have far to lift. Muscle is dense and it doesn’t have to be huge to be strong. Other powerlifters see me at competitions and think I’m a judge. They’re nice to me, and are surprised when they find out I’m an actual competitor.

I can do a squat of 90kg, a bench press of 45kg, and a dead lift of 115kg.

I don’t tell many people, even my friends, what I do. People can accept you’ve spent the morning jogging but not that you’ve spent the morning lifting weights.

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Last year, I injured my back. Surprisingly, it wasn’t from powerlifting but from driving.

Cherry Wilson lifting weights.

I work as a sales representative for a sporting company. I’ve done that for the last 30 years and cover half of the North Island. I drive about 1000km a week, and sitting behind the driver’s wheel for so long, and my posture, is how I sustained my injury. My doctors say the powerlifting helps keep my muscles strong, and I train and work around the injury.

When people say I should settle down because I’m in my sixties, I say, why should I? I’ve got so many goals to achieve, and my age doesn’t factor into any of it. I walk into the gym and see the 20-year-olds and compare myself to them. Why not? I don’t see why I can’t be just as good as them. I always look outside the square.

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Cherry Wilson is in her sixties and looks and feels better than ever.

I have a 40-year-old son, Shane, who joined the gym and only lasted three days.

It’s not his scene. I’ve lived by myself for 30 years, which gives me the time to follow my passion.

In my sport, I love the sense of achievement. It’s about the mental ability. It’s looking at a certain weight and saying to myself that I can lift it.

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If I can’t lift it, I think, ‘Next time I’ll try a little harder or dig deeper.’ Training to me is like brushing my teeth. I can’t live without it. This is what keeps me happy and gives me peace of mind.”

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