Growing up in rural Queensland in a town called Clermont, I had an overwhelming passion for sport and heady dream of representing Australia. There were no Televisions and little media so my obsession with sport was borne out of my imagination and love for the physicality of all activity.
I achieved great accolades at school in swimming, athletics, basketball, netball, rowing and tennis and, after leaving school in 1977, my heart was set on the very real possibility of representing Australia at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Unfortunately the year after leaving school, I was involved in a a near fatal motorbike accident. I broke many bones including both legs – one so seriously that doctors asked me to sign a form giving consent to amputate. I kept the leg but doctors told me I would never play sport again.
I was left shattered, as I realised my ultimate dream of representing Australia in sport would never be. After two years of multiple surgeries, rehabilitation and the agonising journey of learning to walk again, doctors advised to forget sporting ambitions of any sort and pursue a sedentary career. I chose then to take that advise with a grain of salt and began nursing training at the Mackay Base hospital (1981 – 1984). Later in 1986 I furthered these studies embarking on a degree in Psychology.
My pursuit of academic study left many friends and family surprised. My love of sport meant I had never been particularly interested in study at school and, as a consequence rarely attained great scholarly achievements. To everyone’s surprise (mine included) I was a straight A student throughout my psychology degree and honours.
I then moved to Mackay to work in Private Practice and with Government and Non-Government organisations to put all this study into practice. I enjoyed this work immensely. However, whilst I was happy having achieved so much and practicing nursing and psychology, I still yearned for something more. In 1994, I saw an article in Mackay’s Daily Mercury about the World Masters Games in Brisbane later in the year. Finally, something new sparked my interest.
I decided against medical advice to get fit and participate at these games and meet participants from around the world who shared my love of sport. I made that first step and tentatively embarked on a training program once again. It was like a flame had reignited and I was hooked. At the end of the year, I found myself not only competing, but winning two Gold and two Silver medals at the World Masters in Discus, Shot Put, Hammer Throw and Weight Pentathlon.
After the World Masters, by chance, I heard about Powerlifting and got a quick lesson in how to Squat, Benchpress and Deadlift. Not long after, I joined a powerlifting competition in Townsville where, as a novice, I broke an Australian Deadlift record lifting 202.5kg in my first competition. I was hungry for more then decided, at the age of 34, that powerlifting might be a fun thing in which to participate. I had no expectations of where this decision would take me. I trained in a gym next to a cane paddock with my 70 year old father as my trainer. As a true amateur sportsperson from the bush, without financial assistance or sponsorship, I worked full time in my psychology practice and somehow managed to fit it all in. At no time did I ever seek any short cuts and I was then and am now always proudly a drug free athlete.
Over the next 5 years, I continued competing in many Australian and International competitions. I broke 31 Australian, 12 Oceania, 18 Commonwealth and 7 World Records. At the age of 37 I became the World Super Heavyweight Powerlifting Champion by winning the Women’s World Powerlifting Championship in South Africa in 1997. I broke 3 World records during this competition and was coined the ‘Strongest Woman in the World’ by media at the time. My best lifts are 260kg Squat, 150kg Bench Press and 263.5kg Dead lift (World Record). The dead lift record remains unbeaten to this day.
I was named the ‘Daily Mercury Sport Star of the Year’ in 1996 and 1997 and was inducted into Mackay Sporting Hall of Fame. I was one of nine sportswomen nominated for the Australian Female Athlete of the year in 1997 being beaten only by a well deserving Cathy Freeman. I first appeared in the Guinness Book of Records in 1998. I was inducted into the Powerlifting Hall of Fame in Melbourne in 2011, being the most successful Powerlifter in Australia. I was named second in the World’s Best Ever Female Deadlifters in the history of Powerlifting.
I was eventually forced to retire from competitive lifting in 2001 being unable to secure sponsorship to compete in Argentina for the World Championships. I have continued to be an advocate for womens sport and powerlifting, now coaching, mentoring and sharing my knowledge with upcoming athletes and teams. I work with many individuals and teams and am currently involved with the development of a new peak powerlifting body; Australian Powerlifting Union Pty Ltd in between coaching, mentoring, training and enjoying an active round of public speaking engagements.
Katrina Robertson 