A teenager from Michigan is getting closer to fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming one of the strongest women in the world.
18-year-old Hailey Ryan from Shepherd, Michigan, will be representing Team USA this September at the 2021
International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Ryan will be competing in the 84+ kg Sub-Junior class at the championships, which will be held this year in Halmstad, Sweden with powerlifters from more than 60 countries participating.
The recent high school graduate now has more time to focus on her training. She trains five days with one day rest in between, such as two days for bench press, two days for squat, and one day for deadlift before a pause.
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Hailey Ryan and her father, Chris Ryan.
Ryan credits her pursuit of powerlifting to her father, Chris Ryan, who is also her coach. Knowing she had an interest in powerlifting, he suggested she join the team at her high school.
“A lot of the times when there is weight on the bar, I just don’t think about it. If I think about it, then I get nervous,” says Ryan. “When we train, I don’t get told what’s on the bar. My dad just puts the weights on, and I just lift it.”
Her father says he wants to help make her dream a reality and was supportive when she left her management position at McDonald’s and put off college scholarships to chase her dream.
“If you don’t put 100% towards what you love, it’s not going to happen. If you continuously put and believe it’s going to happen, your chances are much greater,” he says.
After the IPF Worlds competition, Ryan has a chance to compete in the State Championship for Michigan and break the American record of benching more than 264 pounds. She is currently raising funds to help cover expenses for the trip. To learn more or to support her journey, visit
gofundme.com/f/hailey-ryan-representing-team-usa-at-ipf-worlds.
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