A Moray woman has been named one of the strongest women in the UK.
Steffie Murray, from Buckie, went to Warrington last weekend to compete for the title of UK’s Strongest Woman.
The 36-year-old achieved sixth place in the weightlifting competition on Sunday, August 25.
Ever since she was a child, Steffie would watch Ultimate Strongman on the TV.
She said it was an “absolute dream” to be a part of the competition.
“To be a part of the UK scene and representing Scotland is just fantastic,” she said.
“I was very flabbergasted by being asked to represent Scotland because there’s a very high calibre of Scottish strongwomen these days.
“I felt a lot of pressure on me.”
Steffie praised the supportive environment of the competition, especially amongst the women.
She said: “We all get an awful lot of hate comments on social media so we just rally around each other and are really supportive.
“We are there to win, don’t mistake that. But when you’re walking back after the event every girl is cheering you on and fist-bumping you while saying well done.”
Receiving award was ’emotional experience’
Steffie added that the experience could be “overwhelming”.
“It made me quite emotional because I’ve watched Strongman all my life and a few years ago I never would have thought that I’d be in the position to represent my country at such a high level,” she said.
“The support from my family and friends has also been phenomenal.
“I could hear my partner, Tommy, screaming louder than everybody else in the crowd.
“He’s my biggest supporter and my rock.”
From giving up sports to becoming national weightlifting champion
Steffie Murray was forced to give up sports as a child because of bullying, but she says that her past experiences have shaped her weightlifting journey.
She said: “I dropped out of sports in high school because I was being bullied quite badly.
“I was too scared to go into the changing rooms because if I did, I’d get beat up or spat at.”
Steffie left school and then went to art school, which she described as a ‘very dark time’.
“It wasn’t until a friend from work invited me to a bootcamp – it was there where I discovered I could lift heavy weights,” she added.
“From there, it rekindled my love for sports and doing well in sports.
“Just being able to be present in my body and not want to escape it. Being happy in my skin and not focusing on what my body looked like but instead what it could do.
“I just took everything that happened to me, and it was a motivator to do well.”
Steffie said: “Being happy in your skin is a feeling, I think, some people take for granted sometimes.
“This is the only body you get, you need to treat it well. And when you treat it well, you’ll feel better.
“It’s taken me 36 years to realise that.”
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