Jacqueline Challonder is totally unaware of the fact that she is an amazing role model for other ladies, especially those who are not involved in any leisure activity, but she is certainly an inspirational figure in the world of power-lifting.
 
Jacqueline was so busy bringing up her four children that she had never taken part in any organised sporting activity but at 46 years of age discovered power-lifting and now, less than a year later, she is a four times world champion, holds the world record in her weight category of 48kgs (seven and a half stone) and lifted an amazing combined total weight of 262.5kgs in the squat, bench press and dead lift!
 

Total World domination

 
Indeed, such was her domination at the world championships over other much-travelled competitors from far afield that she smashed the world record on each of the three occasions that she walked forward to compete in all three sections mentioned above – and her combined total was therefore astronomically higher than the previous world record!
 
Yet talk to Jacqueline and she is quick to play down what she has done.

“I really enjoyed competing in Viron, France,” Jacqueline told us, “and it was lovely to stand on the podium to receive our trophies and hear our national anthem being played, but the best part was the camaraderie shown by our team, who were all there to cheer me on, and the other competitors, who became good friends in such a short time.”
 

Strong-minded person

 
So how does someone as diminutive as Jacqueline, who stands only 5’2” in her bare feet and weighs in at 48Kgs soaking wet, do so well?
 
“Basically, I’m a very strong-minded person,” she told us, “having had seven brothers and three sisters in my childhood days meant that I had to learn to look after myself.
 
“We picked potatoes and gathered logs to raise money and it was part of life’s learning curve for children like us in those days.”
 
“It has certainly served me well because whilst I always show respect for others I know that sometimes you have to battle hard for what you want.
 

Loves the challenges it throws up

 
“It is very much the case in power lifting and I love the challenges that it throws at me.”
 
And a challenge it must have been just to start her sport because being a mother of four growing children has certainly kept Jacqueline busy.
 
“My elder sons, Adam and Craig, are now grown up and both play rugby for St Davids, whilst daughter Kaia (12) and son Jensen (9) are strong swimmers, with Kaia also playing badminton and Jensen is enjoying his football.
 
“I have always tried to be a good taxi driver for them when they wanted to play sport and so perhaps that is why my doing so well in power-lifting has amazed me because I’m really not used to focussing on what I can do.”
 
But Jacqueline is certainly involved now after meeting up with Paul Murphy and taking to her power lifting like a duck to water.
 

Techniques learned well and a good start

 
At first she learned the correct lifting techniques without too much consideration for weights on the bar and this certainly paid off because in no time at all she was increasing her poundage almost weekly as a result.
 
This led to her first competition in Swansea and the Welsh Championships, where she was delighted to dead lift a weight of 100Kgs because she had always found this the toughest technique to master because positioning is so important.
 

Hard work pays off

 
Then the hard work increased and such is the commitment shown that as well as her thrice-weekly sessions with Haydo and Penny Phillips, plus Laura Elkham, she also trains on her own on Saturday mornings.
 
Monday and Wednesday evenings at the Strength Academy Wales, where she also receives every encouragement from weight-lifting coaches Simon Roach and Owain Rowlands, sees her working on squats and bench presses, with dead lifts on Friday, so small wonder that this sort of commitment earned her qualification for the World Championships.
 

Nervousness overcome in style

 
“It was a huge decision to go to Viron,” admitted Jacqueline, “not least because I had never flown before and I was more nervous about that than competing.
 
“We flew out on Wednesday and I managed to stay fairly calm in the circumstances because I knew that the women’s competitions were first on the next day and I would need to fully focus and be on top form.”
 
And focus she did because she was cool, calm and collected from the outset, and things got better by the minute as her very first lift in the squat went superbly and she broke the previous record to serve notice of intent.
 
“I had terrific support, not only from my own team-mates but from my rivals as there was a terrific camaraderie amongst the competitors.
 
“I was successful with all three lifts to win the squats world title and even at the presentation, where they flew our flag and gave me a marvellous trophy, I still found it hard to believe I was world champion!”
 

Four titles and then time to relax

 
A similar story unfolded in the dead lift and then the bench press, with Jacqueline dominating from the start, widening the gap with every lift.
 
“It was like a fairy tale,” she told us, “and before I knew it I was world champion and record holder in all three categories and naturally overall champion with four very big trophies and four new world records!”
 
What was doubly nice for Jacqueline was the fact that she was then able to spend the next three days cheering her team-mates on, and being to join them in celebrating their successes.
 
She even enjoyed the flight home on the Monday, although her personal luggage was a lot heavier than when she flew out to France because of all the silverware!
 

And finally . . .

 
So what of the future for Jacqueline in power lifting?
 
The British Championships are to be held in Swansea in February and she is hoping to do well there.
 
“We are all training hard so it will be interesting to see how it goes,” she told us,” although to be honest I’m not really bothered about trophies and things like that – it is more about fulfilling my potential and the friendships that go with it.
 
“I would be thrilled if other people, especially women, read this and decide to give power lifting a go.
 
“They would be guaranteed a warm welcome and can take assurance from the fact that no-one was more of a couch potato than me.
 
“If I could do it then so could others, so get along to our power lifting, make friends and enjoy a brilliant sport!”