Generally, a 79-year-old Greek woman would be sipping coffee, cooking for grandchildren, gossiping with her girlfriends, binging Greek soapies, and attending church. That is unless that woman is Eleni (Eleftheria) Kostadinos from Bendigo.
The Greek immigrant businesswoman has distinguished herself as a champion weightlifter in her class. The cliché’ age is just a number’ rings true in her case. Kostadinos is a perfect example of courage and fitness.
Just shy of 80, Kostadinos has competed in dozens of world weightlifting championships, the most recent being the National Drug-Free Powerlifting Championship last September, where she completed a perfect 65kg squat, 48kg bench press and 100kg deadlift. For her, this is not impressive or unique; it’s her everyday life.
“I go to work in the morning and straight to the gym. Training is integral to my life,” Kostadinos tells Neos Kosmos.
It began years ago when she developed problems with her back, resulting from a life of hard work and lifting heavy weights in the shop she runs.
“My son, a bodybuilder, started teaching me how to lift things correctly and strengthen my back because I was starting to have problems from lifting boxes in the shop.”
Realising that she had a talent for lifting weights, the then 53-year-old Kostadinos began training in the gym and competed for the first time in 1997. Since then, she has entered national and international championships across the globe.
“Every year, I travel with my husband to participate in a competition. We have been to Germany, France, America, England.”
She has no coach and belongs to no team. Kostadinos “consults experts”, studies her opponents and “beats the records”, she says as though referring to an embroidery stitch.
The dynamic 79-year-old lifts weights to 2.5 times her weight, like in the 2000 World Championships in Belgium.
“Within three days, I broke three world records in the women’s 63kg category for the ages 64 to 69, ” says Kostadinos.
On the first day, she lifted 12kg more than the previous record holder, who weighed 92.5kg. She followed with another win the next day when she lifted 60 kilos on a bench, 10kg more than the previous record holder. On the last day, the super gran from Kalyvia, Corinth, broke the record by 32.5kg, lifting 132.5kg.
“I was amazed at how strong I felt. It was the third day, and instead of being tired and weaker from the previous two days’ competitions, I lifted two and a half times my weight.”
In the Belgium competition, she tallied six medals, and the first championship she participated in, in the United States, 1998, are the two moments that stand out for her.
Her next goal is the 2024 United States championship, for which he trains three to four days a week in the gym.
“For my 80th birthday, I’m going to take part in the games in America, and then my husband and I will take a trip abroad, and of course we’ll go to Greece.”
Her family and the Bendigo community have embraced and supported her, making her feel like a “local celebrity”.
In 2006, Kostadinos won 12 gold medals representing Australia at the world championships hosted in home town, Bendigo.
“The local newspaper has written about me so many times. I feel famous,” she laughs.
Helen Kostadinos’ achievements see her regularly nominated as Bendigo’s ‘Sports Star of the Month’.
When asked when she’ll give up weightlifting, she says, “As long as I am strong and my body can take it, I will continue to train and lift weights.
“Exercise is beneficial not only for the body but also for the spirit,” the champion weightlifting yiayia always advises peers, especially young people.
