KOTA KINABALU: Joyce Heng Shu Xia has put Sabah and Malaysia on the map for the second time in three months after winning the Women’s Open title at the Philippines Strongest Woman competition, held at the Out of the Box Open Gym, Pioneer St, Mandaluyong, Manila on Sunday.
The 32-year-old, who had taken the Static Monster World title held at the Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia in June, was crowned champion after collecting 38 points from four disciplines in Loading Race Medley (Yoke Walk, Axle Bar Carry, Farmer’s Walk), Axle Clean & Press - Last Man Standing, Deadlift Medley + Amrap and Atlas Stones to Platform.
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She edged Joyce Reboton from the Philippines by a mere one point while in third place was Anja Rozenzweig of Hong Kong with 34 points when the final results was announced in the evening.
Joyce, who is a full time trainer based in Penampang, was delighted with the win despite the lack of preparation after being invited by the organiser at the eleventh hour.
“I had taken a month off from competing to recuperate and had only just started my intensive training schedules a few weeks ago when I was invited to participate in this tournament.
“It is always the happiest moment to win something for your country and State even though I had a hard time here with some of the top competitors.
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“The success last night indicated that my training method is bearing fruit, and I will go back to Sabah for recovery then continue my training in preparation for the upcoming competitions,” she said on Monday.
She is set to take part in the ZK Classic (Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur) on October 12 followed by the Johor Bahru Strongfit on October 19 and the Malaysia Strongest Woman (Selangor) on November 2.
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“It is going to be physically and mentally tough, but hopefully I will be able to retain my fitness and able to maintain my muscle for optimal performance throughout the month to win more titles,” she added.
She thanked Youth and Sports Minister, Phoong Jin Zhe; Anytime Gym & Fitness, Kepayan and Cerberus Strength USA as well as her trainer Takashi Ishihara from Japan and mentor Suthida Theerakhawong from Thailand for their continuous support.
