Sean Cozier emerged as the best lifter when the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association (GAWA) held its senior championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall Sunday night.
Cozier won in the category which saw 15 lifters from four gyms competing in the clean and jerk segment in semi-darkness which was caused by low voltage. He totalled 252.5kgs, (snatching 112.5kgs and clean and jerking 140kgs) ending with a co-efficient of 298.2 kg compared to his bodyweight of 87.4kgs. He had previously failed to snatch 107.5kgs and 112.5kgs but after some prompting from past and present lifters including Delroy Ogle, he easily lifted the weight.
He also started at 132.5kgs, failed at 137.5kg, but went one notch higher when he lifted 140kgs to rapturous applause from the small audience. Cozier had been selected to represent Guyana at the Criollo Championships recently hosted in Puerto Rico but he did not attend.
Fazim Abdool who trains at the Hardcore Gym in West Berbice and who was also selected to participate at Criollo, went head-to-head with Fitzgerald Maxwell who was making a comeback after a two-year hiatus from the sport. Abdool totalled 240kg, having snatched 110 and clean and jerked 130 kgs, stamping his authority over Maxwell who totalled 235kgs with a snatch of 100kgs and a clean and jerk of 135kgs to claim second place.
In the 60kgs category, Bhojnarine Persaud showed that his experience in Puerto Rico gave him an advantage, when he totalled 185kgs. Persaud, who works at the Rosignol Church’s Restaurant, snatched 80 kgs and clean and jerked 105 to beat veteran Franklin Brisport in front of Brisport’s co-workers who travelled all the way from Linden and around Georgetown to support him.
Persaud did not disappoint, as he even attempted to clean and jerk 110 kgs, breaking an eight-year record held by Colin McKoy who now resides in Barbados. Utter disappointment was on his face when he failed to jerk the weights and he had to be consoled by his manager/trainer Farouk Abdool.
However, Director of Church’s Restaurant, Gregory deGannes, who was also on hand to lend support, told Stabroek Sport that the management and staff were pleased with Persaud’s achievements and were looking forward to providing some measure of sponsorship for him in future.
In other results of the night’s competition, Leon Withrite snatched 35 kgs and cleaned 52.5 for a total of 87.5 kgs but had to settle for second to Kelwin Josiah who also totalled 87.5 kgs but was adjudged the winner by virtue of being lighter in bodyweight.
Kelvin Moore (87.5kgs) gained sweet revenge over Derron Wright (77.5kg) who had defeated him the last time the two competed in the Novices championships at the National Gymnasium. Moore, who set out to accomplish such, snatched 37.5 kgs compared to Wright 35kgs. He then clean and jerked 50 kgs to Wrights’s 42.5 to emerge on top.
Odel Persaud and Dave Baldeo of the Barims Gym were the lone competitors in the 55 and 62 kgs category respectively and they totalled 110 and 85 kgs respectively.
Persaud with a snatch of 47.5 and a clean of 62.5 kgs whilst Baldeo snatched 40 kgs and cleaned 45 kgs respectively.
Ajodha Harricharran also representing Barims Gym was also a lone competitor in the 90kg category and he totalled 185kgs with a snatch of 80kg and a clean and jerk of 105 kgs respectively. His gym mate Marvis Williams competed by him in the 65kg weight class and his total was also 185 kgs (75 & 110kgs). Another lone competitor was Bhojkumar Jagnarine in the 75kg weight division. Like Persaud, Harricharran and Williams, his total was also 185kgs with a snatch of 80 and a clean and jerk of 105kgs respectively.
Amidst the poor turnout and the semi darkness caused by the low voltage, secretary of the GAWA Dion Nurse thanked the small crowd on hand for their support and took the opportunity to present referee qualification certificates to former lifters Ogle, Winston Bentham and Cecil Pollard.
