On a quiet night in 2019, the then 82-year-old Willie Murphy was getting ready for bed. However, an unknown man appeared at the door of her Rochester, New York, home. At 11:00 pm, a man she didn’t know began screaming for help. He wanted Murphy to call the ambulance because he was sick. However, the 82-year-old, who is into bodybuilding and powerlifting, didn’t let her guard down.
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Willie Murphy has been into fitness for almost three decades. While she became passionate about bodybuilding and powerlifting later in life, Murphy didn’t let age slow her down. On that night in 2019, the now 86-year-old Murphy’s dedication to fitness paid off. The home intruder who broke into the home of an 82-year-old woman was in for a nasty surprise, as Murphy would teach him a valuable lesson.
Old, alone, and tough as nails
After asking for help, the home intruder broke Murphy’s door without warning, probably hoping to catch her off guard. However, he failed to surprise Murphy, who was ready for him. The New York resident picked up the first thing she could find. The powerlifter grabbed a table. “I went to working on him and guess what? The table broke!” she told ABC News affiliate WHAM.
77-year-old grandmother Willie Murphy is a weightlifting champ: "I've got it going on" http://t.co/bMRy5iBNgK pic.twitter.com/Vkk7aK7dOM
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 25, 2015
However, the powerlifter wanted to make sure the home invader didn’t get a chance to retaliate. Murphy began jumping on the man on the floor and grabbed the phone to call 911. Next to the phone’s receiver was a bottle of shampoo. She grabbed the bottle and poured it all on his face, but he still tried to escape. Finally, Murphy grabbed a broom, and the beatdown continued.
Murphy tried to drag the intruder to her front porch, but he felt heavy, like “dead weight”. The Police came inside through the open door and were surprised. “I had really did a number on that man. I’m serious… he was happy when he went in the ambulance,” said Murphy.
How Murphy got into bodybuilding and powerlifting
When Willie Murphy was 77, she appeared on USA Today. She revealed how she began bodybuilding and powerlifting. Murphy said she was into track and field for seniors when she was 50. However, the Rochester resident wanted an edge over her opponents and began weight training.
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‘I’m old and I’m alone but I’m tough’. 82 year old Willie Murphy fights back against an intruder who broke down her door. Guy picked the wrong house, little did he know she was a champion weightlifter and can lift 225 lbs! ‘Don’t mess with Willie’, say friends. What a lady 🌟🌟🌟 pic.twitter.com/WhXcc0RcT0
— Prof Kate Williams 💙 (@KateWilliamsme) November 25, 2019
Murphy’s training paid off, and after finding success in track and field, she decided to compete in powerlifting. During her interview with USA Today, Murphy said she could deadlift 215 lbs. However, in 2019, when the incident happened, she had improved her deadlift record to 225 lbs.
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What do you make of Murphy’s story? Let us know in the comments.