Rafik Arabat eyes Worlds after European gold

“I find my motivation in those around me, my family and friends, but on occasion also in strangers. Some days I leave my house and I meet people who recognise me, who encourage me as they have seen articles about me. It is so rewarding and makes me want to do them proud.”

Competing at home in France with the crowd cheering for him gave Rafik Arabat the motivation he needed to claim his first major powerlifting title.

The 27-year-old lifted 196kg to win the men’s up to 88kg at the Berck-sur-Mer 2018 European Open Championships.

“It is an honour to have been able to bring home the title,” he said.

“I wanted, not only to make the public proud, but those close to me who travelled to show their support. I managed to surpass myself despite some personal issues. My greatest success was being able to achieve gold at the Championships after many long months and years of training.”

Arabat had been training hard two to three times per week to redeem himself after a disappointing sixth place at the latest edition of the Europeans in 2015.

“I never let anything drop. Sometimes I do more [training] if I didn’t reach the goals I set myself.”

It is actually focusing on self-improvement instead of on his opponents what has been driving Arabat forward in the sport.

“What I like is surpassing myself. To say that I lifted 100g more is a record beaten. I am always aiming higher,” he said.

Following on from his success on home soil, Arabat is now dreaming of reaching new heights at a World Championships. He will have the chance to do so in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2019. The eighth place he achieved at last year’s Worlds in Mexico City is his best result so far.

“I want to, at the very least, maintain my eighth place, though I aim to raise my ranking,” he said.

But he does not want to stop there. He is looking forward to competing at his maiden Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in 2020.

“I am already full steam ahead despite some health issues. I am training four or five times a week, but that is only the beginning. I still have time to prepare myself.”

Right now, his main focus is on Astana 2019 and Tokyo 2020. Yet, this has not stopped the French athlete from looking even further ahead. Winning the European title on home soil is one thing, but he has a bigger goal in mind.

“I would like to bring home a medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

“I find my motivation in those around me, my family and friends, but on occasion also in strangers. Some days I leave my house and I meet people who recognise me, who encourage me as they have seen articles about me. It is so rewarding and makes me want to do them proud.”

The Astana 2019 World Para Powerlifting Championships will take place in the Kazakh city between 30 June and 6 July.