Bench-pressing an impressive 270 pounds with all her might, Ann Arbor CIL Sports Coordinator Mary Stack lifted her way to an impressive 4th place July 31st at the Paralympic World Powerlifting Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“I’m really happy with how the competition went,” Mary says. ” I lifted a personal best for me – this was the best international finish I have had to date. I feel like all my training and hard work paid off!”
Mary was part of the US Paralympic World Powerlifting Team, comprised of seven athletes from around the country, who competed in the World Championships July 20-31st. Fifty-two countries from around the world competed in the event.
“It is an amazing experience when countries from around the world come together in sport,” Mary says. ”Setting world views aside, and striving for the best in their sport. It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of that.”
Mary says this strong finish is a stepping stone for her to qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. The Paralympics are elite-level athletic events for individuals with disabilities. Every four years, the sought-after Paralympic Games take place immediately following the Olympic Games. Mary has competed in three Paralympic Games before – traveling to Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, and Beijing in 2008.
Mary, who has Pseudohypoparathyroidism, trains six days per week, more than two hours per day. ”I train hard each day to make myself, my state, and my country proud of me,” Mary says. ”I have a ways to go, but I always set the highest goals for myself. A strong finish at London 2012 is what I am striving for!”
In order for Mary to make the Paralympic team for London 2012, she must stay in the top six in the world for the next two years. Next November she will be traveling to Mexico for the Pan American Games, and from there the US team will be chosen. We will be rooting for Mary all the way!
More information about the US world powerlifting team’s trip to Malaysia is featured on the paralymics website.
US World Powerlifting Team, L to R: Anderson Wise, Mary Stack, Tyler Brey, Jake Schrom, Chelsi Figley, Brando Hamodi, and Leroy Sutton.
