A 17-year-old powerlifter from Salford has become a World Champion for the second time, breaking a 20-year-old World Record.
Tiffany Pilnikova took gold at the Worlds Powerlifting Championships 2025 in Costa Rica.
The teenager, who trains at Barton Athletic Club in Eccles, was able to win on squat, bench and deadlift – breaking a World Bench Record and Total World Record in her category.
This continued success follows Tiffany winning the gold medal at the national powerlifting championship in the -43kg Sub-Junior National category
So, for Tiffany to become the World Champion in Costa Rica, her mother and coach Lenka Pilnikova shared how proud of Tiffany she was.
She said: “The experience was overwhelming being both her Mum and her coach, for her to just be at the world stage and representing Great Britain and the city of Salford, it was just brilliant.
“I am really, really proud of Tiffany because this competition meant a lot to her being 17, as it was her last one before she moved up to juniors, at the moment she was sub-junior.
“So, for her to break the record for bench, and become the record-holder, something that hasn’t been broken since 2025 – for her that was unbelievable.”
Lenka continued: “For all of us it was amazing, as she didn’t just break one record, she also broke the total record by 7.5kg.
“No one could do it until Tiffany came along, and it wasn’t just a small margin, she surpassed it by some distance.
“She has exceeded in all her categories, getting gold in squat, gold in bench, gold in deadlift, and gold overall.”
Training together, Lenka shared how they have prepared for the competition, she said: “Tiffany broke the British record at the national competition, but they were nowhere near the world records, so it was a tough preparation for it.
And there was also the attention on rest as an athlete, she added: “As a Mum and her coach, I wanted to keep her safe and injury-free also, we didn’t want her over-training, or too hard as she still attending college.
“For us it was about finding the balance, and training as she we went along – the programming was very precise, as we didn’t want her to overload.
“We made sure her training and life was balanced to avoid plateau – so training, nutrition, and mental preparation were so important.”
Lenka continued: “It hasn’t been easy to achieve this, but that is also why I am so proud of her.
“She has had the determination, the dedication, and the discipline to keep going – especially at her age is unbelievable, as most would want to give up.
“We trusted one another, and we made sure we went into it together.”
Away from the training and the gym, it financially hasn’t been easy either – as at one stage having the possibility of missing the competition.
Mum and coach, Lenka continued: “We have struggled financially, as we didn’t have a sponsor and we tried so many places for help.
“There was months and months of searching for a sponsor, as the competition as a whole cost us a £4,500 – it was difficult for me to fund it.
“I am a single-mum, and to fund it was hard to fund the trip, and it was worrying me – with it also putting pressure on herself.”
Getting community support from the church, and another member from the gym who helped fund the trip to Costa Rica, Lenka shared how that motivated Tiffany.
“We were lucky to get support from our church getting £3,000, we were blessed by them – and then a guy from the gym said to Tiffany that he would give us the remaining £1,500.
“Our prayers had been answered by the community – and it allowed so many people to be proud of her.”
Lenka added: “With the people donating we were so grateful but there was that extra pressure, and Tiffany did worry about that the day before.
“But I had to remind her that she was going to do well and was always going to do great – the pressure is always there but she pushed through amazingly.”
And with Tiffany succeeding and becoming a World Record holder in Costa Rica, the pressures are now on her Mum, Lenka Pilnikova, who will also be going to the World Championships in South Africa in weeks to come.
More information about Tiffany’s success and record-breaking success can be found here.
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