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At 89 years old and standing 147cm tall, Avila Allsop might be the last person you’d expect to see deadlifting in the gym.
That doesn’t bother her - she is used to proving people wrong.
Sporting talent is not a gift that came naturally to her. In high school, shewas often picked last for all the sports teams, and on her report cards PE teachers often said: “Avila tries hard.”
Avila Allsop, 89, competed in the powerlifting and indoor rowing at the 2025 New Zealand Masters Games in Whanganui. Photo / Eva de Jong
“I’ve always been interested in exercise but no good at it,” Allsop explained.
She began powerlifting three years ago after her trainer Tim Joyce urged her to give it a go ahead of the Masters Games in 2023.
“I thought, why not do it?” she said.
When she first started deadlifting it took her five minutes to get down to the ground and back up again, but slowly with smaller weights she built up her strength and mobility.
“As you get better and can do a certain weight, you just want to do more. It’s a bit addictive in that respect,” Allsop said.
Avila Allsop competing in the powerlifting at this year's Masters Games - her PB is 70kgs. Photo / Supplied
At the 2025 Games, Allsop lifted a current personal best of 70kg, taking out the gold medal. She was the only woman competing in the 80+ category for powerlifting.
A respiratory virus derailed her training schedule ahead of the games, but she managed to recover faster than expected and performed easily in the competition.
Allsop also raced in the 500m and 100m events in the indoor rowing 85+ open division and received two silver medals.
She holds the New Zealand record for the 300m indoor rowing 85+ open division.
During the 500m erg on Thursday, Allsop admits she was humming Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
“I do it [exercise] for the joy of it,” she said.
“It’s also to challenge myself, and I think that’s why I like it.”
Every week, Allsop does two gym sessions with her trainer, alongside water aerobics, exercycling and the rowing machine.
Her friends at the Country Club in Huapai, where she lives, are in disbelief about her training routine, and often say how inspired they are by her commitment.
“Some people even tell me that I shouldn’t be doing it at my age - which is nonsense,” Allsop said.
Allsop’s daughter Fiona Rickards was in Whanganui to support her mother.
“Everyone’s just been so friendly and amazing in Whanganui, we’re so grateful,” she said.
The whole family was very proud of Allsop’s achievements, but there had been a moment of doubt early on.
“Mum was doing a warm-up for the powerlifting with a 50kg weight, and my sister who is a farm girl and lifts hay bales went to pick it up ... she said, ‘We can’t let her do this, we have to stop her!‘,” Rickards said.
“But Mum can easily do it - that’s what’s so incredible.”
Rickards has noticed that her mother’s improved muscle strength from weightlifting has helped her to have better balance and prevented any falls.
Allsop is planning to compete at the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin next year.
“I wish people knew more about them [the Masters Games] because they tend to think that you have to be very good at sport to do it, but you can be any level, it’s for everybody,” Allsop said.
“Just give it a go.”
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
