Bury St Edmunds powerlifter Helena Tarbuk wins gold for Great Britain at A/WPC European Championships in Poland

As far as international debuts go, they do not get much better than Helena Tarbuk’s first outing for Great Britain.

Having successfully negotiated her way through a qualification process, the Bury St Edmunds-based powerlifter was part of a more than 200-strong British squad that competed at the A/WPC European Championships in Wroclaw, Poland, earlier this month.

And there was no signs of any nerves from the 19-year-old, who was not only crowned the U52KG Teen European champion, she also set four new world records.

“I set high standards and I expected to do well, but this was a different level and I had no idea what I was coming up against,” said Tarbuk, who moved to Suffolk with her family in 2016 from Adelaide, Australia.

“It was a very different atmosphere to what I’m used to and the referees are much stricter, but I’d prepared as best I could mentally to cope with all of that.

“I did feel confident, but it was still so surreal when my hand was held up after winning. And to set four new world records as well, that was unbelievable.”

Tarbuk’s success is all the more impressive given that she only took up the sport three years ago.

Back then the former King Edward VI School and West Suffolk College pupil was working to build up the strength in her knee after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing football for Norwich City.

But rather than returning to lace up her boots, Tarbuk found a new passion.

“I was building up the strength in my knee after surgery and I found that I was actually quite strong for my weight,” she added.

“I loved the atmosphere and the adrenaline that you get from lifting – and all the support of people cheering you on.

“I quickly started to feel like lifting was my future and I enjoyed relying on myself.

“I do have a coach that helps me a lot, but they can only do so much. When I’m out there it’s about me being as strong as I can be, both physically and mentally.

“Sometimes training is tough and you don’t always hit the levels you want, but that just acts fuel for me.”

And having had a taste of the sport at an international level, Tarbuk is eager for more.

She is set to step up a division at the British Championships in Manchester next month, while she also has an eye on the World Championships, which are due to take place in the USA later this year.

“I’ve done well at a lot of national events and the danger of that is that you can become quite comfortable,” said Tarbuk, who is currently studying diagnostic radiography at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich.

“That’s what I enjoyed about the European Championships because I had no idea what I was coming up against and that encouraged me to do that little bit extra in training.

“The British Championships is a good next step because I’m stepping up against older lifters, so that will be more of a challenge.

“And the next step internationally would probably be the World Championships.”