Belgian vegan Sahy Lalime defended her Belgian national title with a set of monster lifts at the national powerlifting championships.

There were troubling developments in the week leading up to the meet as she struggled to make the weight, eventually sweating her way to 63kg to qualify for her weight category.

Squatting well over double bodyweight with a 155kg (341lb) lift she beat her personal best by 2.5kg.

Benching 82.5kg (182lb) was also a personal best by 2.5kg. Deadlift was a fantastic 187.5 kg (413lb), adding 5kg to her personal best.

The total of 425 kg (935 lb) gave her the win in her category and she was awarded best overall woman lifter across all weight categories.

“Whatever effect the [weight] cut had on my strength felt like it was gone by the time deadlifts rolled around, because those deads felt beautiful!” she said afterwards.

“I wasn’t super nervous leading into this meet, which probably didn’t do me any favors. If I had been more stressed or if the stakes had been higher, I might’ve fought more for that 3rd squat” she said, referring to her third attempt at squat which was not successful.

Vegan Power

This vegan powerlifter turned vegetarian then vegan to avoid hurting and killing animals, and has thrived on plants. She encourages others to reconsider their practices too.

“Do what you believe is right, regardless of what others will say or do” she says. “I wish I would’ve had the courage to stand for my convictions and go vegan much sooner than I did. I chalk it up to guilt-issues, but in the end it was also that I didn’t have the courage to stand for what I believed in when faced with losing something.

World Championships next!

There’s no time to rest though, as Sahy turns her attention to the World Championship in June. The International Powerlifting Federation Championships are the biggest and most competitive for lifters using no equipment – and Sahy can’t wait to take on the best on the planet.

“Training this year has been great and I’ve definitely bounced back from my slump at the end of last year. I’m very excited to see where I can go from here! I had a bit more in the tank at Belgians, so I’m looking forward to bringing that out (and hopefully more) at Worlds. My main objective for Worlds is to not bomb out, ha ha, and to take a Personal Record on all my lifts and my total.

“Becoming World Champion is still a way off, but every kilo I add to my total gets me one step closer. As long as I stay healthy, I’ll keep riding this train. I have no idea what the final destination will be, but I’m enjoying the ride!”

Sahy’s profile

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