I am very pleased that Larysa got second place in this fantastic battle between many great athletes. It is really a pity that the race was so close to win but in the end some votes were missing.
The IPF has put in a lot of effort to get their members voting in favor for Larysa but also for our sport Powerlifting.
It has been a big success for us to motivate our lifters, officials and fans of strength sports to vote for Larysa.
I congratulate Larysa as I think it is great merit for her to become 2nd place at IWGA Athlete of the Year voting, after she won the World Games 2017 for the 4th time.
This is a great example for our sport and for the IWGA.
Many thanks to the IWGA for having this fantastic initiative to vote for the Athlete of the Year.
Gaston Parage
IPF President