Innès Allouache: "My heart will always beat for Montpellier"

Rowing as a passion

A peaceful childhood spent in the sunshine, during which the young woman was diagnosed as gifted and skipped several grades during her exemplary schooling. "As a child and teenager, I wanted more than anything to become a sports teacher. After graduating from high school with a rowing option, I enrolled in STAPS (Sports Science), where I had to give up this passion, which was not among the options offered to students. Looking back, it was a bit out of spite that I started weight training!" she jokes today.

At the Veyrassi University Sports Center, where she trained four to five times a week, Innès Allouache quickly surpassed the performances of her peers. This was not an easy situation to deal with at the time, as sexism (only four girls out of 35 students in her class had chosen weight training) was compounded by suspicions of doping. "Men are naturally stronger than us, so some people attributed my performance to something other than my physical abilities and mental strength!" she says, still annoyed today.

447.5 kilograms

Regardless of the criticism—which, especially on social media, can be relentless—Innès Allouache knows her worth and is forging ahead with her head held high. For months, the young athlete has been racking up successes and competing in international powerlifting competitions, even smashing her own records. During the last World University Championships on July 25 in Tartu, Estonia, she took^first place in the under-84 kg category, lifting a total of 447.5 kg in a series of three spectacular movements: a squat, a bench press, and a deadlift.

This performance is now a source of pride for the young athlete, who is just 20 years old and sees this as an opportunity to popularize (a little) her sport, which is often mistakenly confused with weightlifting. "My parents are now torn between pride and concern. But the only thing I risk is a good case of tendonitis !" Innès reassures us with a smile. With the next competitions already looming in Bordeaux and Belarus, Innès Allouache will soon be joining the Villepinte club , except for university competitions."My heart will always beat for Montpellier and my university!" insists Innès, who will proudly represent UM at the next World University Powerlifting Championships in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) in July 2020. A champion and a beauty!

UM athletes at the top of their game!

The University of Montpellier celebrates its medal-winning athletes at the World, European, and French University Championships during an annual ceremony organized by SUAPS. Read the profiles of these champions who juggle the demanding dual life of student and athlete. Read all the profiles...