Hoeta eyes Australian event
Women’s powerlifter Ashleigh Hoeta has set her sights on competing in Australia after reaching the top of her sport in New Zealand.
At the International Powerlifting New Zealand Anzac Cup in Rotorua at the beginning of the month, the Taranaki
24-year-old smashed the women’s New Zealand powerlifting record with the heaviest squat of 255kg.
Hoeta, who competes in the over 90kgs category, also broke the national record in the bench press with 125kgs, and the dead lift by lifting 237kgs.
‘‘My total was top total for all females in New Zealand. The current top female had 611kgs total, which was standing for three or four years. My total is 617.5kgs.’’
Hoeta is now part of a team of six selected to compete in Melbourne in October.
She has been powerlifting for
18 months, but had a setback last year when she suffered a stroke.
Hoeta had entered a competition called Strongman and Strongwoman for the first time, but she didn’t do any training, she said.
‘‘It was a full day of cardio and I don’t think my body was able to handle going straight into something like that. I haven’t done anything like that since.’’
The stroke put Hoeta in hospital for a week and then New Zealand went into lockdown just as she returned home.
‘‘I just did the bare minimum, walking around the house, trying to do a press up, trying to do a situp. Then six weeks later I came out of lockdown stronger than I was before I had the stroke.’’
In June 2020 she hurt her rotator cuff, but recovered enough to start breaking powerlifting records in August,.
‘‘I don’t think a lot of people would have done it the way that I did. It was just because my dad is really sick, so I just said, ‘I’m going to be the best in the country while you’re still around.’’’
At her latest competition she hurt her shoulder again and ‘‘it’s not doing very well’’.
Hoeta is from Taranaki, but is staying in Hamilton to help look after her father.
She trains three hours a day four times a week, has just taken up arm wrestling, plays rugby, is studying for a degree in Health, Sports and Human Performance and has just been offered a job as a personal trainer. And she has two little children. ‘‘It’s really busy. But, when you get a scare – you almost die – you’ve got to live your life to the fullest.’’