Will Alana be World’s Strongest Woman?

Caption: Alana Curnow in action in Singapore in 2015, an event she won. Photo: ContributedBy Richard BruinsmaAlana Curnow wants to be the World’s Strongest Woman.And, so far, she’s making the right moves to help her achieve that official title.She just competed at the “Arnold Classic Amateur Strongman World Championships” in Ohio, USA, and while she didn’t make it to Sunday’s final four, she was overjoyed with her accomplishments.“I have had a few people mention I must be disappointed. Absolutely not,” Ms Curnow said from the USA.“In the last 12 months, I've closed the gap between myself and the someone who practically wiped the floor with me last year.“The other girls were seriously just insane. It was friggin’ awesome to compete with them. The three-time world champion (didn’t make) day two either. That's how fierce the competition was.”Caption: Mooloolah’s world record holder Alana Curnow with colossal American strongman Brian Shaw, who stands 203cm (6’8”) and weighs in at 200kg, at the “Arnold Classic Amateur Strongman World Championships” in the USA last weekend. Photo: contributedLast October, Ms Curnow broke the World Record for the heaviest lift and load of an Atlas Stone – one of those huge balls of solid concrete.At the time she weighed 82 kg. The Atlas Stone weighed 138.2kg. And she managed to lift it onto a platform set at a mandatory 1.2m. (The record she broke – 136kg – had stood for 13 years).That achievement, at the Brisbane Fitness Expo, came with the unofficial-but-widely-recognised title of Australia’s strongest woman.However, Ms Curnow isn’t finished there.She has turned her focus to scoring an invite to the World’s Strongest Woman competition, which is due to be held in 2017 after a 15-year hiatus.The strongman events include the disciplines such as 200kg frame carrying, 160kg axel deadlift (most repetitions in a minute), 75kg overhead log press (most reps over a minute), and of course Atlas Stone lifting. While she didn’t qualify for the finals at the weekend’s strongman event, she is making the most of the added experience.“All in all, an amazing day,” she said.“I got to meet some very awesome people. Managed a personal best for reps in the deadlifts.“And spent the rest of the day watching the pro's and getting selfies with them - as usual they were lovely and happy to do so.” Ms Curnow’s journey started in the early 2000s when, unhappy with her weight after a relationship breakdown, she got serious about her fitness. She joined a gym and within nine months had lost 40kg.She continued working hard, and has now been training and competing for the strongman events for three years. “I enjoy just being completely responsible for the goals you set and what you achieve, and the feeling of going to the strongman events and competing against people who are also your best supporters,” she said.“It is male dominated but it is rewarding for women as well.“It’s a bunch of really supportive people.”She trains at a gym at home in Mooloolah, and at Muscle Hut gym at Kawana. She is sponsored by Harris Stability Systems and Mass Nutrition Kawana. Ms Curnow is more than happy to field enquiries about the sport through her Facebook site: “Strongwoman - Alana Curnow”.Caption: Mooloolah’s Alana Curnow is determined to compete for the title of World’s Strongest Woman.Meantime, her three children – Liana, Hayley and Theon - are quite fine with her muscle-bound pastime.“They love it,” she said. “They tell everyone that their mum is the strongest woman in Australia, and she is.”And she’ll keep working towards the title of strongest in the world.