An eight-year-old Dundee girl has won a world title after deadlifting the weight of four large Staffies.
Erin Phillips won her category at the World Deadlifting Council Championships in Paisley by lifting 70kg – or 11 stone – which is roughly the same as lifting four of the large dogs at the same time.
The Ancrum Road Primary pupil is following in the footsteps of her parents Melissa and David, who compete in strongman and strongwoman competitions across the country.
David, 42, says Erin “burst into floods of tears” after realising she had won – and may even have broken a world record.
Dundee girl, 8, in ‘floods of tears’ after claiming deadlift world title
He told The Courier: “Erin has always been around us training for competitions and decided one day that she wanted to try it out.
“We made sure it was a lighter weight and let her have a try, then realised she is really strong.
“We never really pushed her towards it, she just decided she wanted a shot.
“She seems to have a talent for it.
“They do a few events a year with different types of deadlift, this was the first with an under-eight category.
“She handled all the nerves really well and she was great on the day.
“Erin was the only female there and was up against two boys.
“When she realised she had won it was very emotional, she came off and burst into floods of tears.
“When I told her I was proud of her after, she told me she was very proud of herself.
“It was just an outpouring of joy.
“They took turns lifting in increment weights so we knew she was ahead of the others by the last lift and knew she had won as soon as she managed it.”
‘She is going to be a very strong woman when she grows up’
Melissa and David hope Erin will continue to train for other competitions, but say it is her choice whether she keeps up with the sport.
David said: “She sometimes doesn’t want to train but we don’t push her.
“If she wants to train, we are here to help her with our knowledge of it all, so she is well looked after.
“We are generally training at home but also have a private training space we use.
“Hopefully she will go down this route. She also has an older sister, Brooke, 15, and a baby sister Isla who is only six months.
“We hope they will eventually join in too.”
Despite competing, Erin does not follow any special diet and “eats like a normal eight-year-old”.
Mum Melissa said: “She loves her food and has recently discovered mince and chips, and loves going out with her dad as a treat.
“She’s a growing girl and is really interested in healthy eating.
“She learns at school using the traffic light system.
“She has been coming home checking all the foods in the house to make sure we’re eating healthier and making good choices.”
David added: “At the moment this is the only official competition for her age group that we have seen.
“As she gets older there will be more.
“She could actually be a world record holder, but we are waiting for that to be verified.
“She has taken her medal into school with her and showed it off in the playground and to her teachers.
‘She is going to be a very strong woman’
“Her mum has competed in the Scotland’s Strongest Woman competition and a lot of the people we have met at competitions are supportive.
“The women especially are setting a good example for her.
“It is a good thing to have people to look up to like them, like her mum.
“She is aware she is very strong for her age and for being a girl. She is going to be a very strong woman when she grows up.
“Even if it does end up just being a hobby for her, it is not a bad thing to want to be healthy and strong.”
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