From a nine-year-old lifting prodigy to a world-class champion

When did you consider weightlifting as something you want to pursue seriously?

I have done weightlifting my whole life, but the 2019 African Games in Morocco was a turning point. I started taking weightlifting with the seriousness it deserves after that championship. Doing it with passion. It was my first time to board a plane and I think this is what inspired me to go all out and put all my time and energy into it. I loved that feeling and the feeling of winning. Additionally, people started respecting me because they started seeing me as a role model. Some were shocked that I this small girl lifting weights. 

How do your parents view your involvement in weightlifting?

They were very happy when I went to the African Games in Rabat, Morocco. They were very supportive. Previously, it was only my mum who gave me her support. My dad told me I should concentrate on my studies first. But when I went to the African Games, he gave me 100 percent support. This also gave me the approval to focus even more on weightlifting to make them happier.

Who is your role model in weightlifting?

I have two role models. Here in Kenya, it is Winnie Langat. She's very amazing. She's one of the purest people I know. She'll offer you very useful advice because she's been in the industry for a long time. She is also a mother and a policewoman and still doing weightlifting as well as the long jump. She multi-tasks a lot and I love it. I love that about her. Internationally, I look up to Romanian weightlifter Mihaela Valentina, the European champion. She lifts perfectly. Her technique is so perfect and she's so beautiful. Her face card is insane. She won Silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

As a lady, what personal challenges have you seen in this sport? 

The first challenge is funding. I live in Lang’ata and train at Steel City Gym in Pangani, Nairobi. I use a lot of bus fare. I still depend on my parents. We are four children and all of us need funds, so sometimes I feel like a financial luggage. Another challenge is in training where you can pick up an injury that requires you to rest for weeks or even months. And by the time you come back, you are a bit rusty and you have to start the sport all over again. Maintaining your title is also a challenge because people expect a lot from you. They expect you to perform even better than the last time. So, you have to push yourself.

How has weightlifting changed your life?

I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for weightlifting. It has given me discipline. I believe peer pressure could have pushed me to something that had more serious consequences when I was a teenager. Weightlifting helped me to avoid falling into drugs. Even the Kenya Amateur Weightlifting Association chairman talks to us about the dangers of drugs and early pregnancy. I have avoided such vices through weightlifting which has also earned me the respect of others. It has also helped me financially. When I go out to competitions, I get something small. The sport has also taken me around the world. I have been to at least seven countries.

What lessons have you learned in weightlifting?

 In this sport, you have to be patient. There are instances when you are told you will go to a competition and you start to prepare only for it to be canceled. You can't leave the sport because that competition has been canceled. You can't give up. No. You hang on because there will be other competitions in the future.

Many championships have passed me like that. We were expected to go to the 2024 World Championship in Manama, Bahrain from December 4-14, but we are not going. The sport has taught me to be disciplined and to respect my elders, coaches, and other athletes. It has also taught me to live clean. No doping.