An Aldergrove grandmother who took up weightlifting to fight osteoporosis hauled up close to 600 pounds in three lifts to win at the 2023 World Masters Classic Powerlifting Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Sharlene Brunjes, 70, won three gold medals and one silver in her class at the Oct. 8 competition in the Masters 4 category for competitors aged 70 or older. A total of 23 athletes competed in the event.
She was also given the Best Lifter Award for all countries competing.
Brunjes broke two Canadian records in her weight class (63 kg. – 139 lbs. ) at the Mongolia meet with her overall total for the squat, bench press and deadlift (262.5 kg. – 578.7 lbs.), and her individual effort in the deadlift (127.5 kg. – 281 lbs.), beating Liisa Tiensuu-Hirvonen of Finland.
“I didn’t start until I was 65,” Brunjes said at the Monday, Nov. 6, meeting of Langley Township council, when mayor Eric Woodward and councillors lined up for a picture with to recognize her accomplishment.
“So, you’re never too old,” she told the meeting.
After Brunjes was diagnosed with osteopenia (low bone density), she began lifting weights to strengthen her bones and prevent osteoporosis, a bone disease where brittle bones put people at risk for significant injury upon falls and other movements.
“I reversed my osteoporosis,” Brunjes said.
READ ALSO: ‘It’s never too late to get strong’: Aldergrove grandma deadlifts twice her weight for the gold
Mayor Eric Woodward called her accomplishment “incredible” and wished Brunjes all the best on her future power lifting competitions
“Hopefully we will see many more [medals] in the future,”Woodward said.
READ ALSO: Powerlifters have first mask-free Summer Open in Langley
For more information about events and the sport, visit https://bc-powerlifting.com/ or the BCPA Facebook page.