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05
Oct
Harrogate Paralympian Lottie McGuinness excited for ‘spicy’ World Championships
Harrogate Paralympic powerlifter Lottie McGuinness has said she is excited to compete in the World Para Powerlifting Championships next week, saying the tournament is “the spiciest it’s ever been”.
McGuinness, 23, will compete in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday (October 12), in the women’s up to 55kg category.
The powerlifter broke the British record for the women's under 61kg category in July. You can watch our interview with her here.
The Stray Ferret met with McGuinness this week to discuss her prospects.
She said:
I’m excited. I’ve not been on the world and international stage in 12 months. I’ve done small internationals like Ireland and Finland in the winter but to get back on the big one with all the other girls – and it’s a spicy competition with all the [talent] – it’s exciting.
I’d like top five. There’s new girls, a spot opened up because an athlete has been banned for taking illegal substances, so the 50kg champion is coming up to replace her. The Russians are back, and one in my category is lifting a few kg heavier than me. It’s probably the spiciest it’s ever been, but it’s exciting because it’ll be a fight. I’m ready for it.
The athlete admitted that she would like to beat Kamolpan Kraratpet, the Thai competitor who pipped her to a medal place during the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
She added she would like the ‘redemption of getting over her’.
The powerlifter said that there can be tensions between athletes before competitions, but that she pays no attention to it:
There are people who have staring competitions, the lot. I don’t do it myself, but if people do it to me, I don’t mind. The best way for me to prepare is just to be me. Let the others do what they want to do. They can stare, they can do whatever, but I’m just there to get the job done essentially.
Team GB powerlifter Lottie McGuinness at Paris 2024
McGuinness admitted that she has some nerves about whether she’s going to achieve the numbers she wants to, but she doesn’t like to think about it. She believes that if she thinks negatively of it, she won’t achieve it, so tries to keep a positive outlook.
To do so, the athlete said she has lots of motivational videos saved to her phone, and she likes to watch other top athletes perform. “It gets me fired up”, she said.
She also added that she likes to look to the future, to think about qualification for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026. McGuinness chuckled, admitting that her coaches don’t like it, though.
So, how does an athlete like McGuinness prepare for the immense pressure of a World Championships on the day?
She said:
I keep it super chill on the day. I will lie in because I’m not competing until [8.30pm, local time]. I’ll probably wake up around 9-10am, eat breakfast then have a heavy lunch at 2pm. Then an early, light tea at around 5pm.
Throughout the afternoon it’s movies, hair and makeup, that kind of vibe – super chill. Charging headphones is a priority because I’ve done that before where I’ve gone into a competition and they’ve died. That wasn’t fun!
After a kit check and warm-up, McGuinness will then step onto the stage to compete. This year, she will be competing against 7 other athletes in her category, one of either A, B, or C, in the women’s up to 55kg competition.
Lottie McGuinness will compete at 6.30pm UK time on Sunday, October 12.
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