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Weightlifting champion mom shares inspirational message for other women

Elizabeth White weightlifting mom.png
Posted at 5:00 AM, Sep 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-23 08:06:32-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A local weightlifter won the world championship and is sharing an inspirational message with other moms and women.

Elizabeth White's daily workout starts at 4:30 a.m.

She gets up that early because she doesn't want to take time away from her 6-year-old daughter or her career as a pediatric nurse.

"My day is busy," White said. "I have one kid and she is in dance. I don't want to take time away from her."

Elizabeth recently won gold at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in August.

"I'm stronger now at 36 than I ever have been," White said.

She broke three world records for her age category of 35 to 39 years old.

White snatched 162 pounds, then clean and jerked 200.6 pounds. She also won the competition total with 352.7 pounds.

"I knew that I was strong enough to compete," she said about her ability.

While White has been lifting for more than decade, it hasn't been easy.

She took some time off after having a baby, and that's when doubt crept in.

"They've always said you get stronger after you have a baby, and I was like uhhhh... I doubt it," White said.

But her Husband and her daughter helped her get in the best shape of her life.

White's husband, Ryan, turned the garage of their Bates City home into a gym.

Her daughter, Sloane, wrote an inspirational message for her mother that says, "Stand tall, be brave, be strong, be grateful, and be powerful."

"Her putting those words on a whiteboard by herself, writing them in her first grade writing, is enough inspiration to keep me going," White said.

She wants to share that message with other moms, other women and young girls wondering if they have what it takes to succeed.

"Your body is what you make of it. I'm a better mom, I’m a better wife, I’m a better nurse than I was 10 years ago because of lifting," White said.

She is planning to go Germany next year to continue competing in the masters weightlifting championship.