Malcolm Dixon-Searle, NZIS Christchurch student, makes the front page of Nor'West News, Western News and Southern View after taking home an international weightlifting title.
Personal Trainer, Malcolm, is now ranked among the strongest men in Australasia.
The 21-year-old finished second at the globally renowned weightlifting competition, Australia’s Strongest International Showdown, at Yapeen in central Victoria.
“It was such a life-changing and humbling experience,” Dixon-Searle said.
The competition pits some of the strongest men and women from across the world against each other to battle it out in five rigorous events: The Ukraine deadlift, overhead medley, frame carry conans wheel, backwards drag arm over arm, and atlas stone run.
“To go up against top athletes on the world stage takes incredible discipline and endurance. I trained over six hours a day to achieve the elite strength needed to compete at an international level,” Dixon-Searle said.
Dixon-Searle was selected to represent New Zealand at the international showdown after finishing third in the 80kg division at the 2022 New Zealand Strongest Man competition in Hamilton.
“As one of the only 10 Kiwis to qualify for the international competition, I’m proud to hold the runner-up title for New Zealand,” he said.
Dixon-Searle’s academic journey has been equally impressive.
“As well as being an athlete and a personal trainer at F45, I’m currently working towards my Level 6 Diploma in Human Performance at the New Zealand Institute of Sport.
“I started at NZIS in 2020 to get the support I needed to meet literacy and numeracy standards, and turn my love for sport into a career.
“I’m grateful to NZIS for supporting my education journey and sponsoring me to compete internationally.
“I want to continue to compete on the world stage to show other young weightlifters that they too can win a world title.”
This article was featured in Nor'West News, Western News and Southern View (24 February, 2023).
Photos: Malcolm competing in Australia's Strongest International Showdown on 21 January 2023 at Yapeen in Central Victoria, Australia.