Credit: SWNS
Britain's strongest gran is bidding for gold just months after taking up powerlifting “by accident”.
Dr Martine Barons, 63, will lift for Great Britain at the European Championships in Finland this summer.
The 5ft 6ins mum-of-two, who has four grandchildren, started lifting weights for fun but soon realised she was naturally talented.
Martine now trains three times a week while working full-time as an academic researcher at Warwick University.
Her hard work is paying off and she can now deadlift a colossal 125kg (19.7st) and squat 80kg (12.6st).
Martine, who gained her PhD in statistics when she was aged 52, scooped gold at her first tournament just weeks after taking up powerlifting.
Britain's strongest gran is bidding for gold just months after taking up powerlifting “by accident”.
Dr Martine Barons, 63, will lift for Great Britain at the European Championships in Finland this summer.
The 5ft 6ins mum-of-two, who has four grandchildren, started lifting weights for fun but soon realised she was naturally talented.
Martine now trains three times a week while working full-time as an academic researcher at Warwick University.
Her hard work is paying off and she can now deadlift a colossal 125kg (19.7st) and squat 80kg (12.6st).
Martine, who gained her PhD in statistics when she was aged 52, scooped gold at her first tournament just weeks after taking up powerlifting.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:05 I'm Dr. Martine Merrin, slime worker at the University of Warwick,
00:08 and I'm a statistician.
00:09 I recently took a powerlifting, and I'm as surprised as anyone
00:12 to be standing here with this medal on.
00:15 What happened was I have a good friend at work who is a PT.
00:20 We went to the gym for the first time together just before Christmas,
00:23 and she taught me how to do glutes.
00:25 She told me that actually picking up 60 kilograms on your first attempt
00:29 is really quite good.
00:30 A few weeks later, we were in the gym together.
00:32 I managed 100 kilograms on the deadlift, and she said, really,
00:36 you are particularly strong, and you should compete.
00:39 And so I did.
00:39 Long story short, we both competed in the RIL qualifiers for the ABPU.
00:43 We both came away with medals for our division,
00:46 and now I have been invited to the single lift championships
00:50 to represent Great Britain at the European Championships in Finland,
00:54 and also to the British Championships for where
00:57 I compete in the Olympics to go to the world.
00:59 So I'm very surprised, but it's great.
01:01 Yeah, very, very.
01:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:10 (dramatic music)