Killyleagh’s Karen lifts way to medals

Killyleagh’s Karen lifts way to medals

9 November 2022

A KILLYLEAGH grandmother has captured three medals from the International Powerlifting Federation World Masters Championships held in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. 

Karen Burns is celebrating her success on the world stage having picked up a fantastic two silvers and a bronze at the event. 

The 55 year-old qualified for a place on the Great Britain team after her recent success at the British Masters in June, hosted by the Northern Ireland Powerlifting Association at The Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick.

On that occasion she broke her own record for the squat lift and set a new British Masters record at 125.5 kilos.

“There is no point in looking at what anyone else can do,” said Karen. 

“I just concentrate on what I can do. 

“The aim is always to try and better yourself.”  

Karen, who works in an office on a full-time basis, managed to find time to train every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after work. 

Some of that training was in her front living room. In a recent interview on “The Down about Down” podcast with Chris Scott, Karen remarked that her two eldest grandchildren refer to her home as the “strong girls club.” 

In the run-up to the World Championships Karen picked up an injury, but after some physiotherapy and a well-tuned training programme she was back on track again and ready to compete in the 57 kilogram weight category in the Masters 2 grouping. 

She was no stranger to world championships, having represented Great Britain on three separate occasions in Sweden. All her trips are self-funded. 

This was her first event in Canada and she had a travelling time of 20 hours before reaching her hotel in Newfoundland where she met up with the Great Britain team members and other competitors from over 30 countries. 

Karen kept herself active on the plane and managed to walk a total of 4,000 steps during the five-hour flight.

Travelling can have a detrimental effect on the body and Karen had concerns. She had several days preparation, prior to the competition, to take part in light training sessions and attain the correct body weight for her category. 

She weighed in at 56.6 kilograms on and began a series of lifts in the squat, bench press and deadlift. 

Each competitor is competing for individual medals and their points go towards overall team achievements. 

Karen attained a bronze medal for her efforts in the squat, having lifted 120 kilos. She picked up a silver medal for her 162.5 kilo deadlift.

The Great Britain Powerlifting team included 20 ladies, out of whom nine were appearing for the first time in an international event. 

The Great Britain ladies brought home a total of 11 gold, 13 silver and ten bronze medals.  

Karen, who only took up the sport at the age of 49, is continuing her training programme and hopes to be selected for the European Championships to be held in Budapest next March. 

You can listen to Karen in conversation about her training and latest successes with Chris Scott on the Down about Down podcast available on Spotify.