While the Guyana Amateur Power Lifting Federation (GAPLF) is preparing to send some of it athletes to the North American Power lifting Federation’s (NAPF) third annual Caribbean Islands Bench Press and Power lifting Championships next month, one power lifter even though he’s not on the team, is quietly making history.
Colin ‘Mr Clean’ Chesney who hails from the mining town of Linden is no stranger to the sport since he is known as one of Guyana’s best squatters and he solidified that claim yesterday when he squatted 820 lbs (372.73kg) at his usual workout session.
According to information reaching this newspaper this goal had never been reached before. Everyone who witnessed the phenomenon at the Upper Demerara Barbell Club in Retrieve, Linden was at a loss for words, reports said.
“I felt really strong that day, and I was training so, I just decided to do it,” Chesney told Stabroek Sport describing his squat. His previous best was 720 lbs (327.27kg) but he was never successful at the accomplished weight even though he had tried it often before.
It’s been 15 years since the Lindener has been around power lifting, winning several big tournaments but he fell short of the GAPLF team who will compete in the US Virgin Islands from May 14 to 16 and this he said was because he was misinformed about the selection.
He said he was tied up on the dates of the qualification tournament which was the GAPF senior’s tournament last year.
But ‘Mr Clean’ said that he will not be deterred from representing Guyana on another occasion. “I was upset that I missed seniors last year and more so missing the selection because I know that I would have made it,” he said. “But I wouldn’t let that stop me from moving on. There is a next tour coming up in August and I will be there for sure.”
The GAPF will host its Novices competition on Sunday April 26 and even though Chesney is a senior, he said that after speaking with the federation it was agreed that he would compete but would be judged separately.
“Because I would have to wait until the next seniors championship which is until October I think, I had to call the federation and ask them to compete on Sunday. But I will be judged differently from everyone else and I will make the next team that will compete overseas since representing my country at what I love doing will be a dream come through,” he stated.
‘Mr Clean’ started out playing football then was introduced to basketball and it was while playing this sport that he was introduced to power-lifting.
He said that after he started playing basketball, which also calls for some gym work, he was told that he is very strong and since then he never looked back. At his first outing weighing approximately 192 lbs he came out successful but also found that he was more powerful in the squat, with bench press and dead lift being the others that they (power-lifters) would have to do.
“I just like to see iron tumble,” ‘Mr Clean’ said when asked why he never moved up to bodybuilding.
The power lifting world will need to look out because the self acclaimed best squatter in Guyana and maybe the Caribbean says that he will be looking to better 820 lbs on April 26 at the GAPF Novices and Intermediate competition and squat an astonishing 860 lbs (390.91Kg).
