| Name (as you would like it to appear online). |
| Joan Swart |
| Age |
| 54 |
| Weight Class |
| 63 kg |
| Where do you live? |
| South Africa |
| Squat PR: |
| 97.5 kg (official) |
| Bench PR: |
| 70 kg (official) |
| Deadlift PR: |
| 137.5 kg (official) |
| Clean & Jerk PR: |
| N/A |
| Snatch PR: |
| N/A |
| Years lifting? |
| 2 |
| How did you come to powerlifting or Olympic lifting? |
| I was interested to start competing as a master athlete. |
| Do you have any previous athletic or lifting experience? |
| Mostly track & field and ultra-distance road running. |
| Do you compete? Why or why not? If you compete, what do you like most about the competitions? |
| I have competed in IPF events in South Africa and the World Masters Championships. |
| Equipped or Raw? |
| Geared |
| Do you have a coach or trainer? In person or online? How did you find your trainer/program? Do you have any advice for women looking for a trainer? |
| I am coached online by Nick Benerakis of BigBenchas.com. If possible, look for local gyms and trainers specializing in powerlifting in your local area. |
| Where do you train? Gym, garage? |
| I train in my local Virgin Active gym and do the technical work in the high performance area of the University of Stellenbosch. |
| What is the hardest part about beginning lifting as an older woman? |
| Getting used to the attention when lifting heavy in gear! Achieving a good balance between recovery and effort. |
| How has lifting affected your health? |
| Lifting definitely improved my mental and physical condition overall, as well as nutrition. |
| What would you tell women just beginning this journey? |
| Just do it! And never be afraid to ask. |
