Seddon athlete Margherita Coppolino is on top of the world after collecting gold and two silver medals at the World Dwarf Games.
Coppolino’s medal haul from powerlifting and the sport of boccia at the Games in Ontario, Canada earlier this month have been added to the gold and silver she collected for boccia in 2013.
Coppolino, 57, collected her gold record with a record-breaking 53-kilogram lift.
“I’m just feeling on top of the world, I still can’t believe I broke a record,” she said.
“For a 57-year-old woman to just lift 53 kilograms out of the blue – I reckon I could have done even more but it was my fourth and final lift.”
Competing in her third Games, Coppolino also picked up silver in both the boccia team event and the boccia individual event, a ball sport similar to bocce.
She said she was urged on by an electric atmosphere and great support from Team Australia.
“There were lots of young people there on the team this year, for them it was really exciting,” she said.
“You could tell they were taking it very seriously and really putting in their best effort.”
Coppolino, who trains at the Exercise Room in Footscray, entered the Games hoping to raise the profile of people with short stature.
She has her sights on qualifying for the 2020 Summer Paralympics and helping Australia’s push to host the World Dwarf Games in 2021.
