Juuli Kostian changed sports from rack gymnastics to powerlifting and achieved success already in the first year of competition. Coach Mikko Paavola sees opportunities for anything.
Hair in a ponytail, barbell on shoulders and squats. This is how they start Juuli Kostianin evening workouts at the end of the school day.
The 16-year-old from Kotka has quickly become a successful powerlifter. Kostian, who has been involved in gymnastics for 10 years, tried powerlifting in 2020, when Korona closed the gym.
– Originally, the idea was that powerlifting would be a side sport. But when I found out with the coach what kind of potential I have and that my body can withstand this much better, I changed the sport completely, says Juuli Kostian.
She left gymnastics a year ago. Sometimes you long for an old sport to lift your head, but Kostian says powerlifting is more his thing.
– This is where you can clearly see your own development. The kilos show how much more strength has been gained.
During the year, the total result has increased by 75 kilos.
Powerlifting consists of three parts: leg squat, bench press and deadlift. The maximum weights of these three movements are added together, and this is what the powerlifting result consists of.
Even though it’s only the first year of competition, Juuli Kostian is already the under-18 world champion of classic powerlifting in the 63-kilogram category. He won the championship this fall in Istanbul, Turkey, with a result of 397.5 kilograms.
Last year, Kostian won not only the under-18 Finnish championship but also European Championship gold in Sweden. He is currently preparing for the European Powerlifting Championships in Poland in a couple of weeks, where he will participate in the under-18 series.
In addition to the championships, Kostian has a lot of Finnish records in his pocket, as well as the European bench press record of 100 kilograms in his own class.
The goal is also the world championship as an adult
Finnish powerlifting juniors do well in international competitions, but Kostian’s development in the sport has been exceptionally fast. Head coach of the Finnish Powerlifting Association Kaj Mattila praises Juuli Kostian as a motivated athlete with a good coach. Kostian himself also says that his success is due to the coach.
– Mikko knows how to make such good training programs, which are just right for me, says Juuli Kostian.
Mikko Paavola has been Kostiani’s coach for several years already, and considers his coach to be particularly talented.
– He has all the right qualities: head, physique, genetics and everything, Paavola lists.
Kostian himself considers his competitive spirit, strong will and desire to develop to be his strengths. The goal is to be the world champion of the sport in the open class at the age of over 23. By then, the results should improve by more than a hundred kilos.
Mikko Paavola believes in what he coaches.
– My job is to instill the confidence that Juuli understands what he can still achieve. He has the opportunity to be the best powerlifter in the world regardless of age and weight class, says Paavola.
Kostian, who is in his first year at Kotka Lyceum high school, trains powerlifting four evenings and two mornings a week. The exercises last two to three hours at a time. Combining sports and studies has gone well.
– The gym is a refuge, and sport balances it out. If it’s stressful at school, you forget it here, he says.