PERHAPS the greatest basketball player ever, Michael Jordan once said; “Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion”.

This is something that Runita White has embodied in her first year as a powerlifter to truly reach the pinnacle of the sport in Guyana in 2018. After first competing at the Novices Championships back in February, White went on to reset a plethora of records and truly cemented herself as the premier female powerlifter in Guyana.

She made it three Best Overall female lifter accolades out of three competitions last Sunday at the Guyana Amateur Power Lifting Federation (GAPLF) National Senior Championships despite a few setbacks.
At the Novices Championships on February 4, White set new records in the Female Junior Raw 84+kg category. She blew away her competitors amassing 313.511 Wilks points and lifting a total of 383.5kg. White finished first by squatting 145kg, bench-pressing 62.5kg and deadlifting a national record weight of 175kg.

However, that was just the beginning as she then went on to squat 165kg, bench-press 67.5kg and deadlift 195kg, along with her total weight, lifted 427.5kg, to reset the 84+kg Junior and Open Raw Records at the Intermediate/Masters Championships in May.
In her third and final competition last Sunday, the Seniors National Championships, White once again came out on top in emphatic fashion; en route to winning her 84+kg Open and Junior categories.

White reset the records for the Junior Classic 84+kg Class in the squat (182.5kg), deadlift (196kg) and bench press (75kg), as well as the total weight (453.5kg) lifted. In the Open category, she changed the record for the squat with her 182.5kg lift.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport after her heroics, White revelled in her accomplishments saying, “Placing first in my category and winning the best female lifter title for the Seniors National 2018 make me feel as though all my hard work has paid off.

“I was training with injuries, there were a few times I had to take days off because I couldn’t actually lift and doubts occurred because I felt as though the pain would’ve affected me throughout the entire competition. So overall I’m proud of myself and I couldn’t have ended the year any better.”

She continued, “I set a few goals for myself at the National Seniors and those included; squatting 182.5kg, benching 75kg, bettering my last deadlift, to make a total of 1 000lb and to be the best female lifter. Of those five goals, I accomplished four of them. I didn’t make the total of 1 000 but I’m still elated at my performance”.
“This is my third competition for the year and the third time I have achieved the title of best female lifter”.

With an eye on the future, White revealed, “Now that the competition is done, I’m taking a week’s rest and I’ll be back in the gym to work on my lifts and my technique. I was able to qualify for next year’s international competition so that’s next”.
The 23-year-old White has been nothing short of phenomenal after just a year of training and competing. She truly has gone above and beyond her limits. She has conquered in 2018.