News24 | SA junior powerlifter breaks 16-year world record at World Champs in Durban

Cape Town's Faith Lehmensich won gold in the under 48kg junior division at the WPC World Powerlifting Championships, which was held in South Africa for the first time this weekend.

• Faith Lehmensich broke a 16-year deadlift world record in the under-23 division at the WPC World Powerlifting Championships, winning gold in her under-48kg weight class.
• Born prematurely, weighing 640g, and given a 10% survival chance, she overcame learning difficulties and significant challenges to succeed in powerlifting.
• Lehmensich credited her success to her coach, family, and faith, with her parents expressing pride in her years of preparation and perseverance.

She once weighed slightly more than a margarine tub at birth as one of the smallest micro-preemie babies to survive at Groote Schuur Hospital.

This past weekend, South African junior powerlifter Faith Lehmensich broke a 16-year record in her weight class in the deadlift at the WPC World Powerlifting Championships in Durban by lifting 126kg.

The previous record stood at 125.5kg.

Asked how it felt to break her second world record, this time at her sport’s global showcase, a beaming Faith said her first “Worlds” was amazing.

“It was the first comp that I was not nervous for, which is very, very surprising because my nerves are usually at an all-time high, but I was mostly just excited,” she told News24.

“I’m kind of sad it’s over now. It was literally the most amazing comp of my life.”

Faith, 23, will enter the open division next year, marking this her first and last appearance in the junior division at the “Worlds”.

She won gold in her weight class, under 48kg, and placed second overall among all juniors (under 23s).

As a powerlifter, she competed “Full Power”, which means she entered all three categories at this year’s competition: bench, squat and deadlift, breaking the record in the latter.

Faith said:

“I knew that I wanted to get the deadlift because that is my strongest out of all three disciplines, and I knew on the day that I just wanted to break that, and I did. I still think I’m trying to process everything. I don’t think it has sunk in.”

Smallest surviving baby at Groote Schuur Hospital

Faith’s journey is a remarkable story of the smallest becoming the strongest. She was one of the smallest recorded surviving babies born at Groote Schuur Hospital, weighing 640g.

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She was only given a 10% chance to live, and much of Faith’s childhood was a parental endeavour to find a place in the world for their daughter, born many months premature with learning difficulties.

For mom, Andrea, and dad, Reggie, it has been surreal to watch their daughter achieve on the biggest stage, held in South Africa for the first time.

“Reggie and I are ecstatic. We were very nervous, I think sometimes more nervous than Faith,” Andrea said with a laugh.

“We’re just beyond thankful that she’s able to get to this point because she’s been thinking of Worlds for like nine years, since she was a teen. And because for the first time in 25 years it was here in South Africa, we were able to do this for her.”

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Now entering the open division, Faith said she would take a well-deserved two-week break before pivoting to the WPC nationals in Cape Town next year.

“I want to try and become a three-time national champion and try to break records in the Open. Next year, nationals are in my home city as well, which would be lovely.”

Left to reflect, Faith said she was the sum of many people’s inputs in her life, and wanted to thank the WPC Federation, her parents, her boyfriend and her Lord and Saviour.

“And then obviously to my coach, Johan Steenkamp; he is a seven-time world champion now. He also competed and won. This wouldn’t have been possible without him and the training I’ve had the last five months.”

For Andrea, it is a journey that has had a guiding hand hidden from view.

She said:

“At that point, all you see is all the difficulties, and then now you see God working in your life and all these good things and His blessings happening, it’s just a lot of patience, love, and faith.”

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