BASINGSTOKE’S resident strong woman capped a memorable 12 months with an appearance at a global competition.

Farah Fonseca, 24, competed in the invitation-only World’s Strongest Woman hosted in North Carolina on December 16 and 17.

Having already claimed the crowns of England’s and Britain’s strongest woman last year, the fitness instructor had her sights on the triple crown.

However, over the two days Farah managed to place fifth from 30 competitors.

It could have been a different story for Farah as she was in joint-frst going into the second day, but the athlete, who runs Fonseca Fitness Bootcamp, was still extremely proud of her efforts.

She said: “I am really happy with how I did, it was a really tough event. Going into the second day I had to compete in two of my weaker events and that’s where I lost out. There were definitely mixed emotions, but I am so proud to have even got to this stage.”

Enjoying a brief rest over the festive season, Farah is already looking ahead to what 2018 has to offer.

She added: “Last year was a lot of hard work from doing the Arnold [Classic] in March right through to the world’s last month I haven’t really had time to stop.

“I have learnt a lot this year, but already before starting any competitions for 2018 the pressure is on because people expect you to win certain events and because I already won England and Britain’s there is a bit of expectation on me.

“This is kind of the off-season for me now, so my focus right now it to just get stronger in general.”

It is this focus which drives Farah to better herself and believes can help her reach the next level of strong women competitions.

She added: “If you can become an all-rounder in the events it can give you a better chance of consistently winning.”