A powerful 100-year-old woman is set to have her name immortalized in the Guinness World Records as one of the oldest powerlifters.
Edith Murway-Traina made an impression when she lifted 68kg power life at the age of 98 years in 2019, but the record is now officially recognized as she turns 100.
Traina already has a Guinness World Record (GWR) as the ‘oldest female competitive powerlifter’ under her belt as she successfully deadlifted 150 pounds.
That notwithstanding, Traina’s win will also be featured in the Guinness World Records 2022 edition.
As a former dance instructor and performer, physical fitness was always a way of life for the Bronx-born, Traina. But, considering she took up weightlifting nine years ago, the progress Traina’s made is truly impressive, especially since discovering her newfound calling was pretty much a happy accident.
Recounting how she found her way to the gym, Traina revealed that she was tagging along with her friend, Carmen Gutworth who cajoled her into accompanying her to the gym to try out some new exercises.
“She didn’t want to go by herself. She dragged me kicking and screaming all the way, so that’s more or less how I got there.
“I saw all these other ladies lifting weights, and it looked interesting. I picked up a couple of weights and had to prove to myself that I could accomplish this”.
Edith Murway-Traina
Meanwhile, Gutworth disputes her friend’s version of the events: “You can’t drag Edith anywhere,” she jokingly said.
“Edith kept going because she always keeps going. She will not quit, and anything that’s hard… that makes her more determined. If it’s easy, she might get bored, but if it’s hard, she’s going to do it. Nobody’s going to tell her, ‘Oh, that’s too hard for me’. Once she got started, Traina turned out to be a natural. Soon enough, she was on the team, competing in senior events, and bringing home accolades and awards.
“When you pull a bar up and you lift it, there’s a certain power that you experience that is only yours. It belongs to you”.
Gutworth
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Traina admits that harking back to her days as an entertainer, a great deal of her motivation has to do with how much she enjoys being in the limelight and the positive feedback she’s received. She intimated that every time she would compete, she got applauded, and every time she got applauded, she got a little bit happier.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Traina’s doctors sent her to the sidelines but she returned to the gym as soon as she got the green light.
She’s now back in training with coach Bill Beekley, working hard to make up for lost time and get back in shape for an upcoming November competition at which she hopes to bring home yet another winner’s cup to add to her collection.
Traina also appreciates that her current fame largely has to do with her advanced age, but as long as she can be a positive role model who blows the “sweet little old lady stereotype” out of the water, she’s good with that.
“I think in my nineties, I became more aware of the need for people to be recognized for who they are, or what they are, or how they are and it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. I think I survive on that, mostly, myself”.
Traina
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