Down to her final exercise, the dead lift, Jill Joiner-Wong came to life.

The Auburn woman responded by pulling 308 pounds from the floor to clinch a fourth-place finish at the recent 27th USAPL Women’s Nationals Powerlifting Championships in Miami.

Competing in the 148-pound class, Joiner-Wong lifted 313.5 pounds in the squat, 170.5 pounds in the bench press and cleared 308 pounds in the dead lift for a 792-pound total, a personal best.

In doing so, Joiner-Wong also qualified as an alternate for the masters world competition.

“It was a tremendous experience,” said the 39-year-old Joiner-Wong, a mother of two who began to compete in the sport more than two years ago. “At times it was a bit intimidating to be among our country’s strongest powerlifters. It was a humbling experience.”

The 5-foot-4½ and 142-pound Joiner-Wong persevered during a difficult last segment of competition.

“The deadlift is the final lift, and I barely made it,” Joiner-Wong said. “I didn’t feel worn out, so to my dismay I set out to take my first attempt at a low weight of 308. This is a light weight for me normally. … But the bar would not budge. I was in shock. If I could not lift this weight, I would not place, would not get an official total and in my eyes, would have been a disaster.”

But Joiner-Wong responded and finished strong.

Joiner-Wong, under trainer Mark Noesen, is considered a late-bloomer to the sport. She captured her division at the inaugural USA Powerlifting Columbia City Classic in Seattle last October. She was a 2007 state champion.

Joiner-Wong intends to return to training, has entertained plans to lead a women’s weightlifting class at the Auburn Valley YMCA and possibly become a motivational speaker to area children.

“I have been pursuing that possibility,” Joiner-Wog said. “I want to speak to children, motivate them to pursue their dreams through goal-setting and risk-taking and the belief in their abilities.

“I have been motivated in my own abilities to simply put, be a positive role model for my children,” she added. “I have broadened that spectrum to believe I can be that role model for our community’s children as well.”