It’s rare that you hear about the sport of powerlifting in The Bahamas these days, and even more rare that you would hear about a female taking interest in it.
Kraschanda Oliver is determined to make a name for herself in a sport that has gone by the wayside in past decade in The Bahamas, and she is off to a great start.
Oliver travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, over the weekend to take part in the USA Powerlifting TruBorn Rookie Rumble and it was a rewarding experience for her as she was able to cart off two first place prizes in the adult women’s 82.5 kg (kilogram) class and was the best overall female lifter. She turned in a personal best deadlift of 404 pounds and squatted a personal best 318 to win those awards. She added a bench press of 177 pounds.
“I’ve been training for a while now,” said Oliver. “I like being challenged. I haven’t seem many women doing it and I had people reaching out to me about getting involved in bodybuilding but I thought maybe I should try something different. It stood out to me and I enjoy it. I enjoy working out. Being a personal trainer, I like to be challenged. It’s a different feeling when I could go out there and lift the same amount as the guy next to me, or more. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. I just want to aspire for greatness in the sport and do it as long as I can.”
Oliver is aiming for her pro card in powerlifting, and would have to accomplish it from competing internationally. She is seeking to take part in the USA Powerlifting South West Regionals from June 8-9, 2024, in a place to be announced later, from which she is hoping to qualify for the USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals, set for September 5-8, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Bahamian phenomenon has been training in powerlifting for a little over a year and is a registered member of USA Powerlifting (USAPL).
“I have been doing heavy lifting for a while now – squat, bench press and deadlift. It’s pretty intense,” she said. “There was a lot of hype around the competition in Atlanta. The energy inside the arena was amazing. Everyone was trying to win. It was an amazing turnout. All of the athletes and officials were welcoming and the environment was pretty friendly. It was crowded but I’m not one to shy away from crowds. I just went out there and did my best and thankfully I was able to come out on top.”
Oliver admitted that she likes deadlift the most out of the three aspects of the sport. Following her performance, she said she was carried off to drug testing and now she could celebrate her accomplishments.
Oliver is coached virtually by Bahamian powerlifter Dominique Munroe who lives in Atlanta. She has a strong support system, and is thankful to family and friends, including best friend Cache Armbrister, herself a former athlete in track and field, who has been by her side throughout her journey into the sport.
“Cache is my workout partner. She is like a sister to me. She puts up with a lot of the craziness but she has been there for me straight through. She has been awesome, just pushing me along,” said Oliver.
Oliver said she trained for 20 weeks in preparation for the show in Atlanta and she got the desired results.
“I love it. Anyone who is interested should get involved,” said Oliver. “There is a lot of negative thinking that you have to be bulky and look like a guy to get involved in powerlifting but that is not necessarily the case. It keeps you feminine in a lot of ways. I’m confident in my femininity and confident in being powerful. It’s really immeasurable. You can’t put a tag on it. I want to teach it and change the mindset of a lot of people out there so that the sport could return to prominence here in The Bahamas,” she added.
Like most sports, powerlifting in the country suffered from a lack of funding over the years. Rex Burnside served as the president of the BPF from 1999 to 2011, keeping it active during his presidency. Bob Brown took over from Burnside, and after he left the sport, it never returned to prominence or regained its luster.
Athletes fazed out of the sport, with some choosing to go into bodybuilding and fitness and others retiring from active competition.
Oliver said she has fallen in love with it and would love to see the glory days of the sport return in the country.
