60 and strong: A Q&A with a Filipino-Dutch weightlifter

Adela Pijcke is aging but not like most. At 60 years old, instead of slowing down, she keeps pushing hard.  And lifting heavy.

She is lifting as much as 62 kg overhead, as a matter of fact, and winning weightlifting competitions abroad along the way. Her drive to win is relentless. The gold medals she earned recently were from the 2025 World Masters Weightlifting Championship in Las Vegas last September where she scored 47 kg for the snatch and 62 kg for the clean and jerk.

For coach Adela, weightlifting is a way of life and a path to keep herself healthy and strong. (Jesse Pizarro Boga/MindaNews)

“My goal is to maintain my titles as long as I can. In the Masters, you can compete until over the age of 80,” she said.

The Davao City-born Pinay athlete with two grandchildren is proud to say that she has won over six times in this annual competition, and eight times in the European Masters Weightlifting. Olympic weightlifting, she said, has shaped her body and her way of life. She is no longer the sickly girl in the Girl Scout troop, she said, recalling her childhood.

“The sport brought me to various countries and we made friends all over the world. It helped me a lot to maintain my health and my overall well-being. It also gave me more self-confidence and I learned a lot about self-discipline, teamwork, and speaking in public,” Pijcke said.

This Filipino grandma has won weightlifting competitions abroad multiple times. (Northwest photo by
Harold Pijcke)

With her strong devotion to fitness, she co-founded Northwest, a gym that offers functional fitness and Olympic weightlifting in Maryknoll Drive, Davao City. She runs the fitness center with her husband Harold who shares her passion in weightlifting.

Today, coach Adela, as she is fondly called, nurtures a community of weightlifters in Northwest through regular training sessions with members of varying fitness levels. She is also a mentor to several young weightlifters, helping them find a path to grow in the sport.

Coming home to the Philippines after living in the Netherlands for over three decades, coach Adela is continuing her own training but also is also putting her faith in younger athletes to carve the future of the sport and the place of Filipinos in it.

Coach Adela wins big during the 2025 World Masters Weightlifting Championship, growing awards in
her record and being recognized as a formidable competitor in international weightlifting communities
in Europe and in the US. (Northwest photo by Harold Pijcke)

JPB: How did you get into weightlifting? What were your early days in athletics like?

AP: I started with participating in [boutique] fitness exercises like body pump, body shape and indoor cycling. In a search for more challenge, I joined CrossFit. During that time, I trained for a CrossFit throwdown and we had to lift heavy weights–heavier than I have ever lifted. To train better for this, I ventured farther and went to an Olympic weightlifting gym. This was where I fell in love with the sport. My husband Harold helped me a lot to follow this path.

JPB: How did you overcome challenges that came your way?

AP: During the period over menopause, I felt that my health was not at its 100%. I overcame this by continuing the trainings even on days when I was not feeling my best. In weightlifting, it is also a challenge to maintain my bodyweight; self-discipline helped me a lot.

JPB: What does your training look like?

AP: I try to train at least five times a week. Every training starts with a long warm up and ends with a lot of cooling down and stretching. It is important to take a lot of rest between the trainings. In the morning, I always eat oatmeal for what we call slow carbs. This gives me energy for the training. I eat a lot of protein from chicken or fish and fresh vegetables. I avoid “fast carbs” (rice, pasta) and sugars as much as I can. I mostly sleep in the afternoon as well.

Adela Pijcke believes that Filipinos are made to lift heavy and win big. Her passion inspires her to mentor
young athletes including students from Leon Garcia Sr. National High School. (LGSNHS photo)

JPB: Are Filipinos made for weightlifting? Having seen the success of our Olympian Hidilyn Diaz, whom do you want to see win next?

AP: Filipinos have the right figure (a biomechanical advantage of a shorter stature) for weightlifting in the lower bodyweight categories. If they have good coaching they can compete with countries like China, Japan and Korea. I would like to see Elreen Ando win in the women and Albert delos Santos for the men.