A County Down athlete can claim to be the 'Fittest Teenager on Earth' after coming out on top at the CrossFit Games in the USA.
Belfast Live report that Lucy McGonigle saw off all competition to win the 14-15 age group at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
The 15-year-old, from Newtownards, finished second at the competition 12 months ago, but went one step further this time by winning the gold medal.
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During the Games she had to take part in a series of gruelling events including the Skills Chipper, Parallel Elizabeth, Rinse 'N' Repeat and Carrying Karen. They take in various disciplines including weightlifting, running and gymnastics.
At the end of the competition she was top of the leaderboard on 660 points, some 100 points ahead of nearest rival Rylee Beebe.
Lucy said: "I finished second last year so there was a bit of expectation this time round. I was probably one of the better known athletes competing there.
"So there was a bit more pressure, but I enjoyed the whole experience. I competed over three days from Thursday to Saturday in the 14-15 years age group.
"Now I am the 'Fittest Teen on Earth' which is a nice title to have.
"The competition was fierce, and also the heat out there got to me a lot. It was 37 degrees for one of the outdoor events I had to do, and that was early in the morning.
"I had to do various disciplines including running, gymnastics, weight lifting - literally everything thrown into one. Any discipline can be thrown in, such as paddle boarding, kayaking, bikes - anything.
"And we never know until the day before what we are doing. It is all kept a secret. You just have to prepare as well as you can, and make sure you have a whole bunch of variety thrown into your training and preparation."
Lucy was training for six hours a day in the lead-up to the CrossFit Games. During school term she trains at least three hours every day.
It is a sacrifice she is happy to make after claiming gold in America.
"I train about for about three hours a day during the school term, because that's all I can fit in. But coming up to a competition I would be training six hours a day, split into two three-hour sessions," she explained.
"It is tough trying to squeeze everything in, but it is okay. You have to prioritise your time.
"And then when to win a major competition it makes it all worthwhile. I think you have to love it.
"Some people can't understand why I put in so many hours, but it is a passion. It's all or nothing with CrossFit because you can't go into it half-hearted."
Lucy has been training out of CrossFit Enable gym since she was just nine years old and has been working with coach Sam Duckett for the past six years.
"The CrossFit Enable gym has been fantastic along the way. The whole community has been a massive help in my career and I can't thank them enough," she said.
"It is always good to go in and see everyone. I started CrossFit when I was nine years old. I used to swim and I joined CrossFit to help that.
"But then things reversed and I continued CrossFit and gave up swimming. I loved it from an early stage and things have really taken off.
"You can only start to compete when you turn 14, and then lockdown delayed things for a while.
"So I have only really competed in about four or five big competitions. My first competition was actually the CrossFit Games last year.
"That was massive, a real baptism of fire."
Lucy returned home earlier this week before heading off to Poland for this weekend's European Youth Weightlifting Championships.
The teen - who is current British weightlifting record holder at Under 23, 20 and 17 level - will represent Team GB for the first time at the competition in Raszyn.
"I have a weightlifting competition in Poland. That is my first run with Team GB which is exciting," she added.
"I was able to relax for a couple of days after returning from Wisconsin, and then the focus turned to Poland.
"After that then I will be able to relax a bit more and take time off. I can recharge for a couple of weeks.
"I don't like taking too much time off."
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