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\"I did it and I never looked back, and I didn't care who thought that I should be on a treadmill running for hours,\" she said of her commitment to powerlifting. \"I didn't care. I just knew that this is what I love. It's changing my body.\"

Walcott's dedication paid off in September, when she accomplished a world record deadlift of 636 pounds at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation's The Showdown in Kansas City, Missouri.

At the same competition, Walcott also set a personal record in the bench press, benching 363 pounds, and a competition best in the squat, at 584 pounds.

\"PHOTO:
Adam Rivera
PHOTO: Tamara Walcott, of Maryland, sets a world deadlift record at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation's The Showdown in Kansas City, Mo.
>

Walcott said the records she set were even more meaningful because of the difficulties she faced during the preparation, including a shoulder injury and training during the coronavirus pandemic with two kids at home.

\"There's a lot of times I told my coach this prep, 'I can't do this. I cannot. I'm tired,'\" she said. \"But I go back to, I'm not doing it for motivation anymore. I'm doing this because I'm dedicated to it, and I love it and I never quit.\"

Walcott continued, \"And when I look at my kids, I realized one thing that I've instilled in them is if you want something bad enough, you're going to work hard for it.\"

After her world record win, Walcott said she plans to continue competing and breaking more records.

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A post shared by Tamara Walcott 🇻🇮🇻🇮🇻🇮 Queen (@plussize_fitqueen4.0)

She also said she hopes to inspire other women to challenge and embrace their bodies through her brand, which she calls \"plus-size queen.\"

\"I want to grow that brand because plus-size in my mindset means so many different things. It's not to society's standards of what plus-size is,\" she said. \"It means bigger, better and stronger than the rest.\"

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