O’Fallon teenager sets eight national records at first powerlifting competition
Ellie Johnston knows all about being a champion.
The O’Fallon High School freshman won state championships in the shot put and discus in junior high and is currently a member of the Panthers track and field team.
Johnston also is the owner of eight United States Powerlifting Association national records.
Competing for the first time, Johnston, 14, set national marks in the girls junior 13-15 division in two classifications at the recent USPA Illinois State Drug-free Powerlifting Championships in Peru, Illinois.
With the support of her mom, Becky Gunter, and the guidance and training of her strength coach, Dave Bassett, Johnston said that after being involved in the sport for only eight months, she didn’t really have any expectations for her first competition.
“My mom put me in Dave’s program to help me get stronger for track and field. It was tough at first, learning the proper form and so I wouldn’t hurt myself,” Johnston said. “Dave put me in deadlifting and I was putting up some really good numbers. He encouraged me to try competing and so I did.”
Competing in the 198-pound weight class, Johnston set national marks in the deadlift (352.7 pounds), bench press (143.3 pounds), squat (281.1 pounds) and total (777.1 pounds).
Johnston competed in the drug tested competition, but her lifts also count in the non-drug tested class, which accounts for the eight national records.
Johnston currently is ranked No. 6 in the world in the female 13-15 198-pound class by Open Powerlifting.
Bassett, a world-record holder himself, was hired by Gunter nine months ago. Since that time, Bassett, who works with his athletes at The Fitness Zone in O’Fallon, has been amazed at the progress Johnston has made in such a short time.
“Her mom reached out on Facebook for a strength coach to get her ready for track. The moment she came in, I knew I had a diamond,” Bassett said. “I started her off doing a dead lift. With her being 14 and a female, the way she did it, I knew she was strong. It was natural strength, God-given strength.
“You put that natural ability and good training together and I’m like ‘we’re really getting strong and we need to do a competition.’ I had looked up the national records and I knew that we could get them all. We did.”
Although physically ready to compete, Johnston said she was very nervous before and early in the competition.
“I didn’t really know how I would do and I am very surprised that I did as well as I did,” Johnston said. “I think I was the youngest competitor at the meet. I was very nervous before and when I tried going to bed the night before I couldn’t sleep and when I was up there (Peru) I was shaking before the meet, but it all turned out alright.’’
Missing on only her final bench press attempt, Johnston was close to perfect.
“She was perfect in my book. They say a perfect meet is when you go 9-for-9 by making all three lifts in each of the three rounds, but Ellie was going for national records on her first attempts,” Bassett said. “You would never know it by looking at her that she’s in the 198-pound weight class. She is just so solid and strong.
“She’s a great kid, a real hard-worker, does what you ask her to do. She complains a little bit, but that’s just being a typical teenager.”
Johnson has a bright future in the sport
Although Johnston is only 14, she has that intangible all elite athletes possess: The desire and work ethic to be great, her coach says.
“‘From the moment I told her she could break national records, she was like ‘lets go do it,’’’ Bassett said. “To think the national record in the 18-19-year-old class is 887 pounds and she’s only about 100 pounds under that and she’s five years younger ... that’s amazing.
“But my goals for her are not about national records. They are about health, learning to love the gym, to have a healthy life. On the other hand, I’d like to see her go on to break national records for the rest of her life. I think she is just that special.’’
Johnston said the response she’s gotten from her success has been favorable and that she plans on continuing to lift.
“There is another meet coming up that I think I’d maybe like to try and compete at,” Johnston said. “But we’ll see”
