THUNDER BAY — After doing exceptionally well at her first-ever World Kettlebell Sport Championships, city resident Lynda Roberts is already making plans to enter next year's competition.
"I just love the sport. From the minute I started doing it, I was thinking 'this is my sport,' Roberts said in an interview Monday.
She's just returned from the international event held in Busto Arsizio, Italy, where she won two silver medals while establishing a pair of world records for her age group and weight class.
Roberts explained that the two women who won gold medals in her events were actually in a lighter weight class, and also set world records in their respective classes.
Kettlebells are handle-equipped weights used for exercise or weight training, and can improve power, endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
As a sport, Roberts said, kettlebell is popular in some parts of the world, such as eastern Europe, but not so much in North America.
"Honestly, people don't really know what it is. But it's basically a strength/endurance sport with a number of lifts – snatch, jerk, or long cycle (clean and jerk). Typically it's a 10-minute set, and you do as many repetitions as you can with various sized bells depending on your age and your level. It's kind of simple."
She's been a kettlebell instructor for fitness for several years, and always knew about the kettlebell sport.
"Nobody around here did it. And everything I read said to get a coach and learn properly, or you'll develop bad habits. I put it off, and then during COVID there were opportunities to take lessons online and connect with people via Zoom. So I started doing sport lifting."
Since then, Roberts has been coaching and teaching a small group of local residents.
"A lot of people that get into the sport have done martial arts, jiu-jitsu, that sort of thing. There's not very much impact. You're not going to get injured from it, and there are people of all ages doing it, right from young kids to 80 years old. So anyone who likes a physical and mental challenge, that's what it's about. You sort of work at your own pace and set goals for yourself."
Reaching her own goals, she said, is more important than winning a competition.
Though she established world records in Italy, she fell short of her personal bests.
"Given the very hot conditions and strict judging, I knew that personal bests were unlikely," she said.
Still, having been the oldest athlete in her category (ages 55 to 64), Roberts was surprised to learn she'd broken the previous global standards in both events.
"What was most meaningful to me, was meeting other lifters from around the world and my Team Canada people as well, meeting lifters from across the country. Because in Thunder Bay, I'm basically the sole lifter other than the people I'm teaching."
She's inviting anyone interested in getting into the sport to participate in a workshop she plans to run in the fall.
Roberts can be contacted via Facebook Messsenger.
