As a little girl, Deaunte Nelson was insecure about her strength and stature. From passing comments, she knew that she was strong — and a strong girl was seen as atypical.
But on the platform at the 2024 Western Canadian Championships, Nelson wasn’t insecure. It was only her second official powerlifting competition, and she’d already reached the provincial level.
After progressing through her attempts — three squats, three benches, three deadlifts — Nelson stepped off the platform and began chatting with other competitors. That’s when she learned she’d broken two provincial records for her category, scoring 418.8 points in squat and 997.6 in total.
“I was like, ‘What do you mean? Like, what are provincial records?’” Nelson said. “They pulled up the website that had all the provincial records, and they were like, ‘Yeah, you just broke two records.’”
The UBC education student first encountered powerlifting in late 2022 when she ran into a friend at the gym.
“He was deadlifting like six plates … and I thought it was really cool,” recalled Nelson. “So I asked him what he did, and he said, ‘[I’m] a powerlifter.’”
Captivated, Nelson began training with her powerlifter friend, who eventually took her on as a client. She formed new friendships through the sport, and some of her own friends joined her training too. Surrounded by other lifters, Nelson felt a sense of belonging.
“When I started going to the gym, I found people who had the same goals … they wanted to become stronger. They wanted to become the best versions of themselves," said Nelson. "And then when we all became powerlifters, and we created that community at the gym here at UBC, I started to realize that it's where I am happiest.”
Nelson was no longer alone in her strength. As she met more female lifters, she grew more comfortable with her own body.
“There's … a lot of strong women, which made me realize it's really cool to be a strong female,” she said.
Of course, Nelson has still managed to stand out.
She participated in her first powerlifting competition in the summer of 2023, placing first in her category. She placed first again at the 2024 Western Canadian Championships, then again at the North American Powerlifting Competition, where she was invited to compete for Team Canada.
So far, Nelson has finished first in every official competition she’s participated in.
However, her time in powerlifting hasn’t been without challenges. Though the male-dominated lifting community has supported Nelson she said she’s faced hateful comments from men outside the community. Many of these comments occur on social media, where Nelson posts her lifts.
“I posted a squat PR, I was so proud of myself for squatting 315. And I got quite a few people commenting, saying ‘315 isn’t impressive at a 350 body weight,’” said Nelson. (For context, Nelson weighs around 220 lbs.)
Nelson said she has received repeated comments targeting her body, dismissing her strength or criticizing her for doing a “man thing.” But she doesn’t let the antagonism stop her.
“People praying on my downfall is kind of what motivates me,” said Nelson. “It's what makes me want to do better.”
Despite the hate, Nelson remains a devoted powerlifter and vigorous member of the community. She’s an executive for the UBC Weightlifting & Powerlifting Club, where she is proud to promote female involvement. She wants to break more records, and she wants others to know that she’s not just strong for a woman — she’s strong, full stop.
Share this article
First online
