Manx powerlifters made their debut at a first major international competition recently.

The team of 12 made the long journey Down Under to compete in the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.

Not only was this their maiden international tournament, they returned with an impressive 21 medals.

Seven Manx powerlifting athletes competed in the bench-only competition on the Tuesday and there were gold medals for Lisa Grant, Sean Miller and Teagan Lindsay.

On top of this, there were silver medals for Kerry Lindsay and Issy Morris, with Steph Leece and Emma Morris earning bronze.

The remainder of medals were won in the full power competitions throughout the week. Teagan Lindsay claimed first and Issy Morris second place overall in the 52kg sub junior class, while Grant clinched gold for deadlifts in the 84kg Masters one class.

Emma Morris and Kerry Lindsay both walked away with bronze medals in the 57kg and 63kg categories.

There were also some strong displays from Django Kinley and Lewis Runge as they took part in the 83kg and 93kg junior male full competitions.

This while Leece, Jo-Ann Corr and Liz Young participated in the 63kg and 76kg women’s open and Cye Maddocks took part in the 105kg men’s open.

Ballasalla-based Manx Powerlifting says all the athletes involved in the championships can be ‘super proud’ of their achievements on their international debut.

The club would also like to say a special thanks to its main sponsors: Nedbank Private Wealth, Riela Yachts and Space 4 Action.

Also a huge thanks to those who donated to the GoFundMe page, to their sponsored activities and to all the businesses/individuals who donated prizes to the raffle and mhelliah auction to help towards travel and kit expenses for the trip.

Manx Powerlifting are now looking ahead to the next Commonwealth Championships in South Africa in 2024.