LOCAL powerlifter Leanne Knox will represent Australia at the 2018 World Powerlifting Championships in America next month.

After claiming a national title at the Powerlifting Australia Masters Championships in August, Knox is one of five women selected to represent Australia on the world titles in Virginia from October 11-14.

Knox said it had been a last-minute decision to accept the offer to compete on the world stage so soon after the Masters Championships.

"I only just decided to go at the last minute because I only found out about it a few months ago,” she said. "Only five women were selected, so I changed my mind.

"It's a bit of an honour to be selected to go out of hundreds of women from Powerlifting Australia.”

Knox said had she known about the event earlier, she would have targeted her training to peak for the competition, but is confident she can at least match her personal bests.

"It's only been five weeks, which is a short preparation as far as this goes, but I haven't stopped training anyway since the National Masters,” she said.

The competition, hosted by 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation, will comprise three major lifts; the deadlift, the barbell back squat and the bench press.

The Raw Powerlifting Federation was established in 1999 with the goal to showcase powerlifters competing in a drug-free environment with no special support equipment.

Knox is ranked ninth in the Australian open category for powerlifting and previously claimed the Australian and Oceania Masters weightlifting championships, the Pacific Rim Masters and the Masters World Cup in 2017.

She competed in her first national powerlifting event in August and has a strong background of Olympic lifting.

Knox also claimed a gold medal in her weight and age range at the Masters Nationals with a 5kg personal best for the barbell back squat, lifting a solid 147.5kg, a weight she would like to equal at the World Championships.

"You have to be realistic, you can't PB at every single competition, especially with short preparation,” she said.

"There are nine lifts I have to do so another goal might be to maybe get all successful lifts.”

Knox said she is grateful to to her major sponsor ABS Automotive Centre and the Whitsunday Lions and the Proserpine Lions clubs who have both donated $500 each to get her to Virginia.

"Seeing a small community representing Australia makes everyone proud of the Whitsundays, that we can produce athletes on the world stage,” she said.