Jelena Marinkovic- strongest woman in Europe
Donation protected
Hello everyone!
My name is Jelena and 36 years ago I was born in a small town in Serbia called Knjazevac. I am married to my wonderful husband Andrija and we have two sons, Pavle and Aljosa. Besides being a wife and mother, I’d love to share with you a not so ordinary part of my life – the story of how I became the strongest woman in Europe! Five years ago, I was struggling with my weight and was not happy with myself and finally decided that enough was enough. At first, I started eating better and began to lose weight, but soon I hit a plateau and my husband suggested I start going to a gym. I had never been athletic or into sports, so I ignored his suggestion for a long time but then finally (about 2 years later), I decided to go and the moment I walked into the gym I knew it was where I was supposed to be. After being there a few weeks a friend from the gym commented on my energy and competitive spirit and suggested I try entering a weightlifting contest. I immediately got butterflies in my stomach and knew it was something I had to try! Three months later I participated in my first competition and I won a gold medal! After that first contest, everything took off! And after years of training, blood, sweat, and tears I became the strongest woman in Serbia, then the strongest woman in the Balkans, and now I am the strongest woman in Europe! I’m still in love with the sport and one of the most recent contests I participated in was the European Championship in Slovakia. I won a gold medal in my category, a gold medal in the absolute category, and I broke records in all three disciplines: squat (330 lbs/150KG), benchpress (193 lbs/87.5KG), and deadlift (375 lbs/170KG). But that’s not all....this championship was one of my most important in my career because it was the qualifying championship for the Arnold Classic located in Columbus, OH! Attending this competition has been a dream of mine for so long, and I can hardly believe that me, Jelena from the small town of Knjazevac, qualified for this prestigious competition!Powerlifting is my true passion and it is very rare that anyone gets this type of opportunity in their lifetime. I have been extremely blessed by the support of my family and friends. I’ve been receiving invitations for TV interviews, articles have been written about me, and everyone stops me on the streets to say hello. My family, my friends, and my country are so proud of me, but despite all of the love and words of support....the reason I am writing this letter today is because I need your help! Although I qualified for the Arnold Classic, the amount of money I need to come to Columbus and participate would be almost 3 years salary in Serbia! I am hoping to raise about $4,000 dollars to be able to pay for my travel, lodging, and food during the competition. The competition is in March 2020, therefore I have about 7 months to raise the funds. Until then, I will continue to train and prepare the best I can, and pray everyday that I am able to make it to the Arnold Classic to make my country proud! I would be eternally grateful for every share, every like, and every donation that I recieve. Without you, this dream won’t be possible!
My name is Jelena and 36 years ago I was born in a small town in Serbia called Knjazevac. I am married to my wonderful husband Andrija and we have two sons, Pavle and Aljosa. Besides being a wife and mother, I’d love to share with you a not so ordinary part of my life – the story of how I became the strongest woman in Europe! Five years ago, I was struggling with my weight and was not happy with myself and finally decided that enough was enough. At first, I started eating better and began to lose weight, but soon I hit a plateau and my husband suggested I start going to a gym. I had never been athletic or into sports, so I ignored his suggestion for a long time but then finally (about 2 years later), I decided to go and the moment I walked into the gym I knew it was where I was supposed to be. After being there a few weeks a friend from the gym commented on my energy and competitive spirit and suggested I try entering a weightlifting contest. I immediately got butterflies in my stomach and knew it was something I had to try! Three months later I participated in my first competition and I won a gold medal! After that first contest, everything took off! And after years of training, blood, sweat, and tears I became the strongest woman in Serbia, then the strongest woman in the Balkans, and now I am the strongest woman in Europe! I’m still in love with the sport and one of the most recent contests I participated in was the European Championship in Slovakia. I won a gold medal in my category, a gold medal in the absolute category, and I broke records in all three disciplines: squat (330 lbs/150KG), benchpress (193 lbs/87.5KG), and deadlift (375 lbs/170KG). But that’s not all....this championship was one of my most important in my career because it was the qualifying championship for the Arnold Classic located in Columbus, OH! Attending this competition has been a dream of mine for so long, and I can hardly believe that me, Jelena from the small town of Knjazevac, qualified for this prestigious competition!Powerlifting is my true passion and it is very rare that anyone gets this type of opportunity in their lifetime. I have been extremely blessed by the support of my family and friends. I’ve been receiving invitations for TV interviews, articles have been written about me, and everyone stops me on the streets to say hello. My family, my friends, and my country are so proud of me, but despite all of the love and words of support....the reason I am writing this letter today is because I need your help! Although I qualified for the Arnold Classic, the amount of money I need to come to Columbus and participate would be almost 3 years salary in Serbia! I am hoping to raise about $4,000 dollars to be able to pay for my travel, lodging, and food during the competition. The competition is in March 2020, therefore I have about 7 months to raise the funds. Until then, I will continue to train and prepare the best I can, and pray everyday that I am able to make it to the Arnold Classic to make my country proud! I would be eternally grateful for every share, every like, and every donation that I recieve. Without you, this dream won’t be possible!
Organizer
Maja Videnovic
Organizer
Columbus, OH
