Mayoral reception for Causeway Coast and Glens powerlifter Minnie Dihmis & weightlifter Zak Taggart
Thu, November 28, 2024
The Mayor has welcomed Minnie Dihmis and Zak Taggart to a special reception in recognition of their respective powerlifting and weightlifting successes.
The pair have both achieved world class status at a young age, with Minnie recently competing at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Games in South Africia and Zak, who is the current Junior British Men’s Weightlifting Champion, has also competed in the European and World Weightlifting Championships.
Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Ciarán McQuillan said: “I was delighted to meet Minnie and Zak this week and hear about the competitions they have both competed in.
“It is fantastic for myself as Mayor to see young people from the Borough compete at an international level and I have no doubt they are both sportspeople to watch with keen interest into the future. To compete in the disciplines of weightlifting and powerlifting takes both dedication and stamina and Minnie and Zak are role models who demonstrate that hard work pays off.
“I am also very impressed that they have both only taken up their sport in the last few years, and they are to be congratulated for how far they have come. I wish them the very best of luck for their futures in competitive weightlifting and powerlifting.”
Minnie who lives in Coleraine at just 19 years of age, brought home the bronze medal in the ladies junior (age 19-24) competition at the Commonwealth Games in South Africa last month. Being one of the youngest competitors in the category, she said: “I started going to the gym 3-4 years ago and started my powerlifting journey shortly after that as I wanted to feel stronger.
“It is a sport I really enjoy and seeing my results and the confidence that comes with it makes me strive for more. The physical challenge builds mental resilience. I had already set new lifting records when competing within the local Northern Ireland competitions. Having worked with my coach Gary Allen for the last 2 years, my dream of representing NI and bringing home a medal at the Commonwealth Games 2024 came true.”
Zak who is from Coleraine, has just recently turned 18 started weightlifting about 5 years ago and is also the Irish national record holder in 2 junior weight categories, he added: “Thank you to the Mayor for hosting a reception for myself and Minnie.
“I enjoy weightlifting, I am pleased to have the recognition for the effort I put into the sport as I was first inspired to start weightlifting by my Dad who has always been a keen gym user himself. With the support of my family and friends, I am happy to have come so far in just five years and would like to thank my coach James and club Scrabo Strength for their support.”
