Fifty-year-old mother-of-three from Kazakhstan wins powerlifting silver at Rio Paralympics

A 50-year-old mother-of-three from Kazakhstan has upstaged younger rivals to claim a powerlifting silver medal in her Paralympic Games debut.

Powerlifter Raushan Koishibayeva of Kazakhstan celebrates her silver medal at the Rio Paralympics.

TALK about mum strength.

A 50-year-old mother-of-three from Kazakhstan has upstaged younger rivals to claim a powerlifting silver medal in her Paralympic Games debut.

Raushan Koishibayeva finished runner-up in her 67kg class, before declaring there was nothing that could stop her from going one better at the Tokyo Games in four years.

“I started competing when I was 44. I don’t want to stop, Koisibayeva said. “I’m going for gold in Tokyo.”

She said the key to her success was finding a balance between training and family life.

Koishibayeva hoped to inspire other para-athletes, as well as her own children.

Powerlifter Raushan Koishibayeva of Kazakhstan celebrates her silver medal at the Rio Paralympics.

“I take care of all of them and I also compete. You can do both. You have time for everything,” she said. “I am also a student. I have just started an education at the sport academy.

“I want to share my enthusiasm with the younger generation. Hopefully we will make progress for the future,” she said.

Koishibayeva, whose children are aged eight, 11 and 12, lifted 113kg in her third and final attempt at Riocentro Pavilion 2.

The lift guaranteed Kazakhstan’s first powerlifting medal at a Paralympic Games.

The gold medal went to China’s Tan Yujiao, who capped off her success with a lift of 138.5kg to break her own world record.

The bronze went to Egypt’s Amal Mahmout, who won a medal of the same colour in the 60kg category at London 2012 and silver in Beijing four years earlier.

Originally published as Fifty-year-old mother-of-three from Kazakhstan wins powerlifting silver at Rio Paralympics