A New Zealand mum who suffered a stroke three years ago has become the first woman in the world to bench 317.5kg in equipped powerlifting.

In March 2020, Ashleigh Hoeta started to feel numbness in her leg and her face drooping, and was rushed to hospital to find she’d suffered a stroke. After a week in hospital, she had to re-learn how to move her legs and fingers.

Just months after the stroke, the mum of two went on to break two New Zealand powerlifting records. Now, the top powerlifter can add a world record to her list of achievements after overcoming both her own health challenges and, more recently, the loss of her father.

“I started powerlifting, which is the squat bench and deadlift, four years ago. It’s been on and off, because of having the stroke and Covid and everything else,” she tells the Herald.

But in 2022, Hoeta had to take six months off as her dad was extremely unwell. When she came back, her coach asked if she wanted to try equipped powerlifting — which involves wearing knee wraps, a bodysuit and other additional gear — “And I was like, I guess so,” she recalls.

“And then three weeks after, I was having a play around and I broke the all-time New Zealand record. The previous one was set in 2004, and that was at 177.5kg, and I did 227.5kg.”

Four months later, she broke her own record, lifting 265kg ,“which put me sixth overall in the world”, she notes. The obvious next step was the world record, but Hoeta pulled out of an attempt in July because of her dad’s worsening health.

“And then I came back in September and said I’d go for it, then in October, I had to take the month off because my dad passed away.”

When she came back, Hoeta had about “a week’s worth of training” before the competition.

“It was very emotional,” she recalls of her family’s reaction to her record-breaking lift, during which she lifted 305kg — itself a world record — and 317.5kg.

“I was actually going to quit after this,” she laughs. “And in September, I made three promises. I said I’d keep going to training, I’d take out the New Zealand ArmWrestling Nationals, which I did a week after he passed, and I would compete at this comp.”

Hoeta kept all of those promises to her dad, becoming New Zealand’s arm-wrestling champion in October. And while she didn’t realise it at the time, her latest record-breaking lift has opened up international opportunities, and she’s now determined to keep going.

Just a few years ago, Hoeta was in hospital; now, “I kind of just keep forgetting that I’ve had a stroke”, she jokes.

She’s dedicated the win to her whānau - her mum and dad, her sister, her children and her friends - and is especially grateful to her coach Daniel Rudolph, who is the owner of Waikato-based powerlifting gym Kiwi-Strength.

Hoeta broke records at the International Powerlifting New Zealand Nationals in August 2020, including exceeding the squat record by 110kg and the bench record by 120kg.

Speaking to the Herald in 2020, she said she hoped her two children would look at what she’s achieved and realise that anything is possible.

“No matter how far you get pushed down, you can get back up,” she said.

Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in telling Kiwis’ real-life stories, money-saving hacks and anything even remotely related to coffee.