Lizette Bester is building her name in powerlifting and is getting ready to compete at the Clash of the Empire qualifier on April 18 in Benoni.

Lizette started powerlifting when she was just 10 years old, introduced to the sport by her father, Kobus Bester. He had previously been into bodybuilding and later rekindled that passion, sharing it with Lizette.

“Powerlifting makes me feel like I matter. Not many girls can lift what I do, and that makes me proud,” said Lizette.
At the 2023 Arnold Classic Africa, Lizette broke a world record for deadlift and smashed a South African record for bench press in powerlifting.

One of her proudest moments was competing at the World Championships in Durban with her father, who is a two time world champion.

Lizette says her father has always supported her not just in powerlifting, but also in school sports like netball and athletics.

Competing at the World Championships was not easy. It cost a lot of money, and they needed help from people who sponsored them. The sponsors were Machachos, Richway Butcher, A to Z Printer, and Mc van Dyk.

This year, however, she will not be able to compete at the World Championships because it is overseas and too expensive. Instead, she is focusing on local competitions. Her goal is to qualify for nationals in Durban and then compete in the African Games in Cape Town.

She works at PvPower, and after a long day, she sometimes feels too tired to train, but she keeps going.

Lizette trains at Dogzilla Gym, where around 10 athletes support each other. “We help each other and always show up to support one another,” she says. Her goal for this year is to achieve a total lift in the 400 kg range. In the future, she hopes to become a coach and help young people get into the sport.