75-Year-Old Powerlifter Going to World Championships

Hailing from the small town in Missouri, Kate Evert started weight lifting when she was 68 because her children nagged her about her health.

From those humble beginnings, Evert will be flying off to Cape Town, South Africa, to compete in the World Masters Powerlifting Championships from 10 - 18 October. The competition is for athletes aged 40 and above - Evert is 75. “Seventy-six in November, heaven help me,” she says.

Since she started on her new exercise regime, Evert has won four powerlifting national championships in her age and weight bracket. Unsurprisingly, there aren't many septuagenarians along side her and she self-deprecatingly told The Guardian: “The thing about competition at my age is that there aren’t very many competitors. Like, hardly any. For three of those national championships I was the only lifter in my age and weight class, so I got the medal just by showing up.”

Be that as it may, she will certainly have competition in Cape Town, but she revels in the fact that she's able to do something that most people her age can’t do. I also wanted to be able to thumb my nose at my kids and say: “See what I can do now? I’m not a lightweight who falls and can’t get up.”

OGN will let you know how she gets on.