In primary and secondary school, Danique Guit-Schepens was a slightly overweight child who did not excel in sports. When she discovered the nightlife, she went to the pub several days a week. “A pizza before going out, unhealthy food at night when I went home and cigarette after cigarette.” The 33-year-old Osse stopped this lifestyle overnight and quickly focused on weightlifting. With success, because she has already been the best in the Netherlands four times.
Danique was sporty in her youth. She did gymnastics, played football and did equestrian sports until she was 26. However, she did not live for the sport and loved a beer or a fatty meal. “Then there was a turning point. A colleague in the Royal Netherlands Army was super sporty, she inspired me. I stopped smoking and started doing a lot of endurance sports. Then came strength sports, that interested me. There I could also put the mass I already had to good use.”
“I was thinking about tall German ladies or tough men.”
At first she did CrossFit, but the instructor pointed Danique to weightlifting. “I didn’t know exactly what it meant, I had an image of tall German ladies or tough men. When I looked into it, I found it interesting. Strength sports for women has become more accessible, partly due to CrossFit. Those tough men are still there, but I notice that everyone is nice and helpful.”
Weightlifting is seen by many as a doping sport. “That image is really no longer correct, the rules are strict. You can get an unannounced doping test on your roof every day. I have indicated the preferred time between 5:00 and 6:00 am. You never know when they will come by, but it is important that you time at home.”
“Mentally it’s really painful.”
Weightlifting consists of punches, where you lift the weight above your head in a fluid movement with your arms extended. When pulling, make a stop in front of the chest. Danique throws 92 kilos and pulls 115. “It’s heavy, but in terms of strength it’s good. Mentally it is really painful. You continuously challenge yourself to lift more. During training I sometimes have a little voice in my head that makes me doubt whether I can do it. A sports psychologist helps me how to deal with this. I can ignore the voice now.”
She has been the best weightlifter in the Netherlands four times in the heaviest category above 87 kilos. She will make her debut at the European Championships in Bulgaria on February 20. “We built a weight room in our shed where I train for 2.5 to 3 hours almost every day. That is tough, especially because as a soldier I have a physically demanding job and we have a family with three children. This sometimes means that I cannot do 100 percent of what I want in the evening. I stay motivated because I want to be among the best ten in Europe.”
“It doesn’t matter how heavy you are.”
Is that unhealthy food ever on the table? “In our weight class it doesn’t matter how heavy you are. I go for a weight that I feel most comfortable with. We eat healthy at home and quite a lot, because my body needs to get enough fuel for the heavy training. I can definitely have fries every now and then, although my stomach doesn’t always like that.”
