“Bench press has been in my life since about January. In one of my PE classes, my teacher told me that there was a possibility of a competition in this sport and asked me if I would be interested. Of course I said yes. We started to prepare for it gradually. We started with a light training programme and then got harder and harder every week. The county qualification took place on 18 March 2023 in Ajka. There I came 1st in my weight category, the weight I lifted was 40 kg. It felt very good to stand on the top step of the podium. I had to wait almost a month for the news that I had qualified for the national finals, as only 8 people from each weight and age group could qualify per county. When I got the news, I started training with even more enthusiasm. I had about 6 weeks to prepare for the national finals. I went to training 4 times a week and spent 2 hours at a time. For the last 6 weeks I was careful with my diet and tried to eat strictly what I was prescribed. It was 5 May 2023, the day of the national finals, which took place in Békéscsaba. There were a lot of people and I was very nervous, but thanks to all the support and encouragement and knowing that I had prepared as much as I could, I was confident that I could do it. We had three attempts and they always lifted the weight. The maximum I could push was 47.5kg. With this result, I finished 3rd in the National Bench Press Student-Olympics. I am very happy with this result and the fact that I was able to improve on my previous result. I would like to continue this sport in the future because it has become very close to my heart.”
Csilla Bozsoki – Nagybajom Group 2
