The 57kg class in British Powerlifting is a tough gig, with Joy Nnamani and Bobbie Butters having dominated for years. But Adejoke Adetayo is a tough cookie and she rose to the challenge of stepping up from a reserve place to fill a gap in the team at the last minute.
Adejoke was nominated in 10th place with her 430kg total from the British so she lifted in the B groups, outside PrimeTime (the evening session reserved for the best lifters). However, her performance demonstrated that she absolutely deserved to be lifting amongst the best in the world.
Squats went well and she finished on a tough 172.5kg that looked for a moment like it had stopped halfway. This is a big squat in the 57s — indeed, only world record holder, Bobbie Butters, has squatted more in BP.
Not the biggest bencher, Adejoke was always going to slip back a little at this point in the competition. Nonetheless, she got all three in and hit a PB of 72.5kg in the process.
She really came into her own on deadlifts though and her super speedy 180kg opener pulled her up from 12th place to 7th in one go. A big jump up to 195kg, already a PB, didn't slow her down any and she asked for 200kg for her final lift. It was a tough pull but she stayed patient, kept pulling, and it slowly crept to lockout. On the down command, Adejoke returned the bar to the platform and turned to the lights for the referee's verdict. Three whites! and her reaction was a joy to see.
It's hard to find your way out of the shadow of the two best lifters of a generation being in your weight class, but with a 445kg total and 7th place in a field of 29, Adejoke Adetayo has made her way out into the light and I can't wait to see where she goes from here.
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