Ashbourne to host first streetlifting competition

International athletes in event open to spectators

Ireland’s first ever Streetlifting National Competition is set to take place in Ashbourne this coming weekend. The event, which is open to spectators, will be run at Crossfit Meath Gym located in Ashbourne Business Centre, on Sunday 23rd June.

The competition will feature athletes from all over Ireland, and also includes some international competitors from Germany, France and Jordan. This event will offer a pathway for Ireland’s strongest athletes to enter onto the international stage at Final Rep’s European Streetlifting Championship in Germany in November.

With its roots in calisthenics, which is one of the world’s fastest growing sports today, streetlifting combines calisthenics movements with powerlifting/weightlifting competition styles. The event involves four different competition lifts: muscle-up, pull/chin-up, dip, and squat.

The inaugural event is being run by Navan native Jack Dechant, founder of Bodystrong Éire in Ireland. Jack achieved a silver medal at the UK National Calisthenics Championships (Kalos-Sthenos) in the middleweight division in October 2022.

“This is a dream come true for me," he says. "I have been involved in high level calisthenics in the UK for several years, but the aim has always been to increase the level of awareness about the sport here in Ireland and get more people involved.

“The feedback we have had from Irish people over the last few months has been tremendous, and we feel there is a huge appetite for more.”

Weigh-ins for competitors start at 10am, so people can arrive any time from then. The competition itself is scheduled to start at 11.15am. Tickets, which are free, can be downloaded at Eventbrite.ie - search for ‘Bodystrong’.