Former Little Telethon Star Kristin Templeman smashes her expectations powerlifting

When Kristin Templeman first decided she wanted to powerlift, the most she could handle was 20kg.

But after nine months of training, the former Little Telethon Star far exceeded her own expectations, lifting a whopping 52.5kg at the first-ever Para Powerlifting event in WA on Saturday.

Held at Physique Training in O’Connor, the competition, which ran in conjunction with Paralympic Australia, pitted amateur and professional powerlifters against each other to see who could bench press the most.

The gym’s owner, Pete Mayhew, a powerlifter himself, said dozens of friends, family and fans cheered on the 10 athletes who were all vying for top spot.

Templeman, he said, took out the women’s category with her lift achieving a personal best. It was also the first time she had taken part in any lifting competition.

Paralympian Ben Wright – who placed seventh at the Paris Games – lifted the most, bench pressing a staggering 160kg to take out the men’s category.

Mayhew said besides the competition, the event also featured a raffle to raise money for paralympic sport in WA.

More than $1000 was raised on the day with money expected to go towards purchasing a new bench converted for para powerlifting.

Mayhew said he hoped to hold the event twice a year not only to raise money for paralympic sport but to also raise the profile of para powerlifting.