Mullingar weightlifter Ailbhe Mulvihill broke a new personal best while representing Team Ireland at the Weightlifting World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September.
The local athlete ‘snatched’ 80kg, a personal best, and hit a 90kg ‘clean and jerk’ which saw her place 35th in the world overall in her weight class (59kg).
Ms Mulvihill said she couldn’t have been happier with her results in the competition, and she really enjoyed the experience it gave her.
“It was lovely seeing all of these weightlifters that I would only ever have seen online, that are like celebrities to me.
“Everyone was so lovely and completely welcoming, I felt welcome, and I felt like I belonged there which was a big deal for me as I had huge imposter syndrome before going over.”
The weightlifter was one of six on Team Ireland at the world championships.
She said her family and friends were very proud of her and had been following the event from home.
“All of my family were watching the live stream of the competition from home, so were the people I work with and everyone from my gym back home. There were loads watching!
“It was great to have the support and I couldn’t really have asked for a better competition, getting a PB on my snatch on the world stage at my first senior international event.”
options
Her strong performance at the world championships has left Ms Mulvihill with a number of options going forward.
“My performance at the World Championships means I am now qualified for the European Championships in two different weight classes,” she said.
“I have a decision to make now in the next four months to find out what weight class I want to compete at, it’s good to have the option.
“It’s nice to have the qualifying total hit now too, you have to do it within six months of the competition and the World Championships were the first on in that period.”
She added she’s now “under no pressure” to qualify for the European Championships in a few months’ time and can relax.
