Mother-of-two to take on world in international strong woman competition
Mother-of-two Andrea Thompson, 36, from Melton, was crowned Britain's Strongest Woman. Picture: Gregg Brown - Credit: Gregg Brown
A Melton mother-of-two is eyeing up global glory as she travels to America in an international strong woman competition.
Mrs Thompson has recently broken the world record for the 300kg yoke carry - Credit: Archant
Andrea Thompson, aged 36, will take part in the World’s Strongest Woman competition in North Carolina next week to test her strength and fitness against the rest of the world in a range of events, aiming to improve on her fourth place finish in last year’s contest.
The competition will take place between December 7 and December 9 and Mrs Thompson, who only took up the sport three and a half years ago, will aim to lift, push and pull her way to the top of the world.
She said: “I really want to win this year but I’ve had a couple of injuries.
“I’ve had lots of physiotherapy and I’ll be trying cupping - an alternative medical technique.
Mrs Thompson has placed third in the world championships before in Ohio, USA. Picture: MICHELE WOZNIAK - Credit: Archant
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“I’ll do anything at this stage.
“To get this world title would be amazing. Finishing fourth last year was the worst.
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“To be so close to a trophy was heartbreaking - it took me a long time to recover. Now, I’m determined to succeed as long as my body holds up. I’ll be giving it everything.”
Mrs Thompson works as a lecturer at Suffolk New College in Ipswich and despite having to carefully manage a recent hamstring strain and ongoing back problems she is determined to come out on top.
Andrea Thompson will compete in a range of events at the competition. Picture: SU ANDERSON - Credit: Su Anderson
“It’s tough because I’m not sure how long I’ve got left,” She said.
“It just depends on whether my body can withstand the training.
“If I have to finish strong woman, I’ll definitely stay in the sport somehow. I might go into powerlifting as I unofficially beat a European record recently in the squat.”
The competitions comes after a year of success for Mrs Thompson. She won the Strongest Woman in the South competition in April, England’s Strongest Woman in June, Britain’s Strongest Woman in August.
She even set a new set a world record, lifting 300kg during a Yoke carry, which involves resting a frame over the shoulders and walking a certain distance as quickly as possible, the equivalent of carrying a fully grown adult male Zebra.
Marketing Manager at Suffolk New College, Craig Shimmon, said: “Andrea is a real inspiration to everyone at the college and she has had an amazing year. We really hope she comes home with a trophy.”
