1/3 Pleun Dekkers as European Champion.
Pleun Dekkers (30) from Valkenswaard won her second European title Powerlifting last week and will go to the World Cup in a few months before a podium place. Her top sport career started strikingly enough thanks to a study during her studies. “Running at such a high level gives a fantastic feeling.”
From hockey, horse riding, swimming to gymnastics: Pleun did all kinds of sports in her youth. After high school, De Brabantse opted for the HBO course Sportkunde. There she was introduced to her new passion Powerlifting. “In the third year we had an investigation to see what strength training can do with a body in seven weeks. There were different groups with various training programs to measure the different effects on the body.”
Pleun himself had no experience with strength sport, but with a squat she turned out to be able to handle 100 kilos. “Maybe I should do something with this, I thought, but I didn’t do that immediately. Until I have the assignment during my internship in the gym Beat the Trainer saw, when I already turned out to be 110 kilos squat. I thought it was nicer to grab heavy weights than to do many repetitions with light weights. “
“People were surprised because I came out of nowhere.”
Pleun decided to go full for power lifting, that next to squat consists of bench press and a deadlift. “Many in the gym train to look good, but I was looking for a new goal. At the beginning of 2017 I was participating in my first game. I was a bit bleu and only bought the necessary. If I talked about people then, they would be surprised because I came out of nowhere and in 2018 I was already at my first World Cup, where I was ninth.”
Now, at the age of 30, she is European champion in the class up to 52 kilos for the second time. In total she came to 442.5 kilos, all in one day. By the squat With 175 kilos, she almost gained her world record of 175.5, with bench press 90 kilos and 177.5 kilos on the deadlift. “Two hours before the game is the weighting and then you can start with you warm-up. Then everyone gets three attempts per part. With a fast competition, the entire field of participants is ready within three hours. “
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Performing at the top level requires an iron discipline. Four times a week she trains for at least two hours in the gym. “I do what I can do, such as hard training and always pay attention to my diet. I work full -time, but luckily I have a flexible employer. My agenda is full, but it gives me a lot of beautiful things.”
“I’m not going to get rich.”
At the World Cup 2024 she finished second, in June of this year a new medal at the World Cup in Germany is the goal. She also participates in the World Games, a large international tournament in August. “The euphoria during competitions and step by step progression at the highest level, that’s what I do it for. But it is much more than just the competitions. The whole world attracts me, everyone shares the same passion. No, I am not going to get rich, I don’t even earn anything about it. Although the sport is growing a lot.”
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