Powerlifting black mom sets world record and became a champion after battling weight gain and a divorce before losing over 100 pounds
The powerlifting black mom, Tamara Walcott of Maryland, claimed that she started to realize that she had to make a change after her encounter with her son’s sock.
“I remember taking one of [my son’s] little socks and putting it under my bra, because the bra was cutting into my skin. That’s when I kind of realized, this is enough. Tomorrow you have to do something. You are getting to the point where it’s just out of control.” the 37-year-old mother of two, said.
According to her, while she was moving through a divorce, she weighed over 400 pounds which was the most she’d ever weighed in her life.
However, because of her past encounters, she started to gradually reclaim her health by setting one goal each day and changed the way she looked at food.
“What you put in is what you’re going to get out,” she told herself repeatedly.
Furthermore, as a high school athlete, she began to incorporate fitness into her lifestyle and tried cardio-based workouts, like kickboxing, but fell in love with powerlifting.
“The first day I walked in a squat rack, I knew this was it. Something about powerlifting just felt right. If I can control the weight on my shoulders, then I could take control of everything else in my life.” Walcott, recalled.
She also said that when she started powerlift in 2017, she had to push through when self-doubt came up and was inspired by the fact that she was the only woman she saw training and competing, and most times, the only Black woman which led her to successfully lose over 100 pound
“Walking in was nerve racking, because I was still really heavy. I do remember the snickering and the remarks of,’ Why is she here? But I tuned things out. I’m here for a goal. I’m doing it for me.” Walcott, claimed.
“I did it and I never looked back, and I didn’t care who thought that I should be on a treadmill running for hours,” she said. “I didn’t care. I just knew that this is what I love. It’s changing my body.” she added.
Walcott set a new world record at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation’s The Showdown in Kansas City, Mo. with a deadlift of 636 pounds in September and also set a personal record in bench press with 363 pounds and a competition best in squat with 584 pounds
After being branded as the “plus-size queen,” she expressed her gratitude and shared how she hopes to inspire other women to embrace their bodies
“I want to grow that brand because plus-size in my mindset means so many different things. It’s not to society’s standards of what plus-size is,” she said. “It means bigger, better and stronger than the rest.”
