Going To Worlds Gives Her A Lift Spokane Powerlifter Achieves Longtime Ambition By Representing U.S. In International Competition

Nancy Strehlau was 16 years old when the 1964 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo.

And like millions of Americans, Strehlau was watching her television intently as athletes from around the globe competed for Olympic glory.

“I can remember almost crying,” Strehlau said. “I was watching people do these beautiful things on TV and I was already too old to begin to think about starting anything. And I really wanted to be able to represent the United States in some way similar to the Olympics.”

Thirty-one years later, Strehlau has earned that chance. The longtime Spokane resident won the National Masters Powerlifting Championship in Everett, Wash., and will compete for the gold medal in the World Masters in Denmark Oct. 4.

“I’m just thrilled to be on the U.S. team,” Strehlau said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. I don’t know if Washington state has ever had somebody on the USPF team. I think it’s so neat I’m getting (a chance to compete for) the gold medal.”

Things haven’t always been so certain.

Strehlau began working out in the mid-1970s and can remember a time when she had trouble completing a simple pushup.

“I had a karate instructor who made fun of me because I couldn’t do pushups - he laughed at me,” Strehlau said. “So I started strengthening my shoulders and arms.”

Strehlau joined a local gym, and over a period of years has progressed from struggling to bench-press a 45-pound bar to power-lifting totals exceeding 800 pounds.

The unlikely lifter rewrote several Washington state records, and at one point Strehlau was ranked fifth in the nation in the 148-pound class.

“If I wanted to be flip I would say I liked the attention I got because I was able to do more than most women,” Strehlau said. “But I guess my real focus was that I didn’t want to be weak, and it felt good. It was, and still is, relaxing for me to work out.”

While preparing for a national competition in 1986, Strehlau got sidetracked. One of her knees began to swell, and at the same time, she began to go through a series of changes at home and in the workplace.

As a result, Strehlau dropped out of competition. It was nearly 10 years before she felt ready to return to the competitive circuit.

“My 46th birthday did not feel good, and I wanted to do something if I had time, to make me feel better before I turned 50,” Strehlau said. “If you focus on the amounts of weight and the competition and cycling for that, you begin to forget about your pudgy stomach and your stringy legs and your weak shoulders. You’re focusing on something else, and the work becomes easier.”

Strehlau resumed working out in October of 1994, and her coach, Giorgio Usai, convinced her to enter the National Masters event.

So last May, the pair traveled to Everett for the meet, where Strehlau said she was just hoping to clear 800 pounds.

Instead, Strehlau successfully completed seven of her eight lifts to win the nationals with a total of 837 pounds.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” Strehlau said. “I have never felt so good. Talk about adrenaline. It was just great.”

Adding to the drama was the fact Usai began picking the amount of weight Strehlau would hoist following her third lift.

“I had no idea what weight I was lifting over half the time,” Strehlau said. “He’d tell the people what to put on the bar, and of course I couldn’t figure it out mentally, so I just did it. Sometimes that does work out because you’re not thinking ‘That’s too much weight.”’

Now Strehlau will represent the United States along with five other teammates in a field that will include athletes from well over 20 countries.

“My goal is to win the gold medal,” Strehlau said. “Last year’s winner totaled 825 pounds, and the year before that totaled 904 pounds. I plan on totaling 920, and maybe a little more.”

She has even higher aspirations for the future, including a goal of breaking into the top five women lifters of all ages in the country. Right now, she ranks in the top 20.

“Turning 40 doesn’t mean it’s all over yet,” Strehlau said. “I think people can still feel really, really good about themselves if they work at it a little bit. Powerlifting isn’t for everybody, but it helps me meet my goals.”