Her father used to compete, and the whole family followed him to tournaments. It’s no wonder she started training when she was 11.

At first I used to armwrestle for fun – recalls Joanna Berberich, English female armwrestler who lives in Germany. – In 2002 I’ve won the national juniors championship! I realized I had potential, so I kept coming back and winning. In 2006, when I was 14, I qualified to the World Championship in Manchester. It was then that I realized I really need to start training. I’ve cut 20 kg and I took 5^th out of 11 places, which made me very happy.

You could say that for Joanna armwrestling was love at first sight.

I love this sport, because it is unique, different, and yet so popular in the real world, like in pubs for example – says Joanna. - I always enjoyed beating guys in bars at armwrestling. It was so funny to see their surprise at being beaten by a girl. I think every female armwrestler encounters a similar reaction – half the people you meet don’t even realize the existence of this sport, so they get very curious. And there are still men who challenge me to a fight, but at this point I don’t want to rick an injury just to prove a point.

This year Joanna has won the World Championship in Gdynia. She also has 25 national titles.

My friends and family are very proud of me, and they always tell people about me, on every occasion – says Joanna. I also have great support in my husband, who is also an armwrestler, we motivate each other.

Joanna’s dreams are simple: be the best, win an always have a goal in life. – I love watching armwrestling get out of the backrooms of the bars, and onto TV screens, like on Eurosport. I’m very curious how far it will go!

Iza Małkowska