Flipping over a 200kg tyre, I beamed as the crowd erupted into cheers behind me.
Grabbing my towel, I wiped the sweat off my forehead and ran up to my son, Ben, now 24.
After a gruelling day of competing, I’d done it – qualifying for the World’s Strongest Woman comp.
In as little as four years, I had gone from a powerlifting novice to representing my country in the Worlds.
It was an incredible feeling.
Growing up, I had always been the sporty kid.
At school, I’d get involved in various teams, with athletics being my favourite.
But, after having Ben at aged 17, I took time-out from exercise – especially with Dylan, 21, and Anthony, 19, following shortly after.
And it wasn’t until I came out of a difficult relationship, aged 30, that I found boxing.
I’d completely lost all sense of who I was, and boxing helped me find that again.
My self-confidence slowly started to come back and I saw glimpses of my old self seeping
