Paula O’Connell
- 2023 -
Athlete - Arm Wrestling
My first introduction to arm wrestling was in Ottawa when my husband and I went to see
our good friend Chris Scott compete. I used to arm wrestle in high school and this National Competition intrigued me to give it a try. So at the age of 48 I decided to start training for arm wrestling and Chris Scott began training me.
I started traveling the province taking in as many tournaments as possible to gain experience. I went to my first Nationals in Vancouver in 2012. Although I did not win I gained more valuable experience. When I got home I really ramped up my training which enabled me to capture my first National Title in 2013 in Timmons Ontario.
In 2017 I attended my first World Championship in Budapest Hungry. This was an eye opening experience meeting arm wrestlers from all over the world. I managed fourth with my left arm and sixth with my right arm. The number of entries in each classes were huge so I was very pleased with the out come. I wasn’t able to make the 2018 Worlds but planned on 2019 in Poland. So we upped up our training even more working on weaknesses. This training brought me to tears many times. However these tears turned to tears of happiness when that exact training was the reason that I was able to beat the European Champion twice in the finals and capture my first World Title with my left arm.
Now even though I still train for National and International competitions I also focus on growing the sport by encouraging and training women and juniors. I am also one of the coaches at our Sackville Warriors Arm wrestling Club . I also travel to schools and Sport Fairs. I love working with young people.
I have made so many life time friendships traveling across Canada and around the World. In the future I would like to travel to more tournaments throughout North America.