ALAPPUZHA: Better late than never, they say. And Reeni Tharakan would be the first to acknowledge the axiom’s weight in gold. The 63-year-old, who started powerlifting just four years ago, won three gold at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last week.
“I first started working out in 2013 to stay fit, and I never quit. In 2019, my trainers, Jagan and Jerry, spotted my talent in powerlifting and it transformed my life,” says Reeni, from Thycattussery, Cherthala.
“Egged on by my trainers, I took part in the Ernakulam district-level competition the very same year. I was then training at a gymnasium in Vyttila. I went on to win in various categories. I followed this up with success in state- and national-level competitions over the following years,” says the mother of two daughters.
Last May, the Asian masters championships was held in Alappuzha. Reeni won gold in squat, bench press and deadlift.
This helped her qualify for the Mongolia worlds, where she was the overall champion in the 61-70 age category. Around 125 powerlifters from 44 countries participated in the event, says Reeni, a graduate in English literature.
Reeni, who was a keen athlete from her school days, put her passion on hold following marriage. “But I kept alive the sportsman in me, and this has helped me compete later in life,” she says.
Her husband, Antony Tharakan, is a retired chief commercial manager of Southern Railways. Her elder daughter Anya is settled in the United States, while Roshina runs a restaurant in Chennai.