By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

Amanda Wojtal is a local athlete who recently competed on an international level.

Wojtal, a former Fayette County High School graduate, competed in the 1999 Special Olympic World Games in North Carolina.

Wojtal is a powerlifter and has been lifting weights for close to five years. She said that her brother Jason was the one who got her interested in the sport. She has lifted over 135 pounds and placed second at the World Games meet. Wojtal trained several times a week, a few hours at a time, to prepare for the Games, but she says the real secret is attitude.

“You have to have a good attitude,” said Wojtal. “Just smile and be yourself.”

Wojtal said her favorite part of the World Games was the Olympic Village. “I met athletes from all over the world, places like Belgium and Greece, and there was dancing from all the different countries.” She also enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies and making friends from different teams.

When she's not working out and training for competition, Wojtal works at Publix, goes to church and enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, singing and dancing. She also plans to try soccer, volleyball or track, just to see how she would do in one of those sports, but power lifting is her true sport.

As she said, “Anything is possible with the right attitude.”

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