Dowsett, Doreen – Powerlifter won golds and smashed records

Doreen Dowsett, nee Welbourne (b1951)

Born at Barrowby, Doreen Welbourne attended Barrowby Primary school before going on to the Girls Central School/ Walton Girls School.

She had little interest in sport other than horseriding.

Her late husband Stephen Dowsett was a keen powerlifter and on the way home from a competition at Scunthorpe, they (about 15 of them) stopped off at Collingham (it was a ritual!)!

Over a drink, discussing the day’s results, (being basically strong as I worked with horses), she stated: “I could do that!!”

Except at the time she was eight months pregnant !!

Doreen has been involved in Powerlifting since the 1970s and was an International referee becoming the first Female IPF Cat 1 Referee in the World. 

After her daughter was born, she began training! Three months later she had to have a total hysterectomy and re-started training three months later!

Doreen’s first competition was three months later back at Scunthorpe in 1981, where she broke all the County & Divisional records!

In 1990 she also became the world’s First Lady Cat 1 referee

Doreen became the over-50s ladies’ World Masters queen in 2004 after outlifting a Czech Republic lifter and a Finnish powerhouse to stand on top of the medal rostrum in India. It was a title she had last won in Canada in 1993.

The Grantham Physical Culture Club member won the overall title and three individual golds in the bench, squat and deadlift events.

The following year she broke the British over-50s women’s squat record in winning gold at the British Masters in Birmingham, breaking the British over-50s women’s squat the process.

The Grantham Physical Culture Club member lifted 125.5 kilos to set new figures for the 75 kilo class. Doreen almost added another record, but failed to improve the deadlift record on a technicality. It was her seventh British title.

Then in 2006 she won silver at the European Masters Championships in Prostejov in the Czech Republic, taking second position in the Masters 2 category, 67.5 kilo class, behind Anita Thimm, of Germany, beating Finnish and Hungarian lifters.

Doreen also won silver medals in squat (110kg) and dead lift (135kg), and a bronze medal in bench press (57.5kg). The Great Britain team came second overall behind Germany.

She was inducted into the Great Britain Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 2014?! 

Doreen retired from competing in 2008 following a stroke and several mini-strokes, be remains Chief Technical Officer for: British Powerlifting, All-England Powerlifting, and Commonwealth Powerlifting (GB).

And she still finds the time to hold a job as a  delivery driver for Wiltshire Farm Foods.