Strongest woman cited by PSA

MANILA, Philippines - Easily the wonder woman at the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night was 54-year-old Anita Koykka who was cited for capturing four gold medals in the 57-kilogram open class of last year’s Asian Powerlifting Championships and holding six world records.

Koykka is a wisp of a lady, barely 5-5 and weighs 120 pounds. Yet, she is able to hoist thrice her body weight. Koykka took up powerlifting in 2007 when she was 47, influenced by her Finnish husband Tony, a six-time world champion. They live in Ormoc where she’s from and their daughter Teresa, 21, is now coming into her own as a lifter. Teresa is a student at Western Leyte College.

In powerlifting, there are three events – squat, bench press and deadlift – where a gold medal is at stake. A fourth gold medal is awarded for the highest combined weight lifted. At the Asian Championships in Quezon City last year, Koykka dominated the 57-kilogram division by bagging the four gold medals up for grabs. In the process, she reset the world record for deadlift by picking up 182.5 kilograms, eclipsing the previous mark of 175.

At first, it was reported that Koykka ruled the Masters division for her age group. But Powerlifting Association of the Philippines (PAP) president Eddie Torres said Koykka competed in the open class against women half her age.

Torres and PAP press relations officer Nina Oca accompanied Koykka when she received her citation trophy at the PSA Awards Night in 1 Esplanade, Pasay City, last Monday. Koykka flew in from Ormoc where she and her husband manage a store of office and school supplies. The Koykkas started the business in 1991 and are also involved in charity work, taking care of educating, feeding and clothing streetchildren.

Koykka previously competed in the 52-kilogram class where she also set world records. At the 2010 Asian Championships in Mongolia, she broke the seven-year-old world record in squat with a lift of 353 pounds.

Torres said he’s grateful to the PSA for recognizing Koykka’s feats. “Anita would’ve been cited earlier but there was something about her advanced age that didn’t seem right until the PSA realized she deserves the honor,” he said. “Right now, pound-for-pound, she’s the Philippines’ strongest woman. This recognition means a lot to our sport.”

Koykka trains four days a week in Ormoc. She does squats on Mondays, bench press on Wednesdays and deadlift on Saturdays. Thursdays are for light training, repairing and adjusting. “Anita is training throughout the year, no holidays,” said her husband. “We are using very strict cycle training, similar to what I did during my prime. It combines Finnish and Russian systems. Except in bench press where she is trained by Eddie on modern methods. No way she ever thought to be a world record holder at her age. But as her coach, I knew she could do it after a year and half of training. She has the heart and will of a champion.”

The Koykkas also train lifters to follow in their footsteps. One of their protégés is a nephew Regie Ramirez who took the silver in bench press at the World Junior Championships in Canada in 2011.

Torres, 47, is a powerlifting champion himself in the Masters category. “Age isn’t a factor in powerlifting,” he said. “In some cases, powerlifters who are over 40 carry more weight than those who are 20 years younger. Even wheelchair-bound athletes, who compete in bench press, win in the open class. Our sport welcomes the mentally-challenged and the blind, too. We participate in the Paralympics and coordinate closely with Philspada. Powerlifting is a sport that you can do for a long time.”

Torres has been involved in powerlifting for close to 30 years. “In our sport, strength is the focus,” he said. “We do basic nutrition but we enjoy our food. If we gain weight, we move up in class. We eat six moderate meals a day. In my own regimen, I train from 1 to 1 1/2 hours a day.”  There are seven weight categories in the female division – 47, 52, 57, 63, 72, 84 and over 84 kilograms. The male division has eight classes – 59, 66, 74, 83, 93, 105, 120 and over 120 kilograms.

Unlike weightlifting, powerlifting is not an Olympic sport. Weightlifting scores points for the snatch, the clean and jerk and the total lift. In the Paralympics, the powerlifting event of bench press is included in the calendar.  Powerlifting is a sport at the World Games which are held every four years with International Olympic Committee patronage. Non-Olympic sports like billiards, squash, finswimming, bodybuilding and dancesport are featured at the World Games which started in 1981.