SA Strongwoman gets prestigious invitation to renowned contest
Witpoortjie’s own Geraldine Lee Van Aswegen is breaking barriers in her field as she broadens the scope of her talents on a global stage
Witpoortjie’s own Geraldine Lee van Aswegen is breaking barriers in her field as she broadens the scope of her talents on the global stage.
The proud Roodepoort native has established herself as a formidable competitor in the South Africa Strongman Union (Sasu) and is currently the second Strongest Woman in the under 75kg women’s category, as well as the 2017 Sasu SA Strongest Woman for the Strongman Corporation in the under 64kg category, where she broke the record for a 180kg dead-lift with a body-weight of 62kg.
The rising star gave the Record a brief description of her involvement in the tournament and what got her involved.
“I only started training for the sport early this year and completed my first competition in February, when I set the Sasu SA record for a dead-lift of 180kg in the under 64kg women’s category.”
Geraldine said it wasn’t an easy feat breaking into a male-dominated arena but she has taken on the challenges and come out a record-breaking winner.
“It has been a privilege to be able to stand up and show that women can do this and dominate in it too. Women are taking over and I just decided to give the competition a try. When I realised I had potential, I gave it my all and haven’t stopped ever since. Hopefully I can inspire other women to believe in their capabilities and not underestimate themselves.”
The 28-year-old fitness enthusiast hopes she can motivate other females to get involved in the sport.
“Despite the hard work it entails, the training and competing makes me feel good about myself and obviously my health has benefited tremendously. I’ve challenged my body to limits that I didn’t know existed and now I refuse to give up on anything because I know I can do it. I hope my story inspires other women to get involved in the sport.”
To add to her list of achievements, Geraldine has been invited to go on a trip of a lifetime and compete on an international platform.
“I’ve been invited to the United States of America to compete in the 2017 Official Strongman Games where I will go up against the best in the under 64kg World’s Strongest Woman Championship. The event will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina on 16 and 17 December.”
“Further, I would like to thank my sponsors, my trainers and my gym for the incredible support they’ve given me throughout my training – my team has helped me achieve the most unexpected dreams. It is an amazing opportunity to be selected to represent my country, and I plead with my community and business owners for any donation toward the costs. There is no donation that is too small and any help would be welcome,” said Geraldine.
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