Fazim Abdool, Romeo Hunter, Saif Abdool, and Nangita Seenarine were among the standout performers when the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) staged its flagship National Senior Championships yesterday at the St. Stanislaus College auditorium.
The quartet recorded several record-breaking performances en route to bagging the marquee medals and trophies at the event. As customary, the year-end fixture was the curtain closer for the federation, which had a banner year under the leadership of Franklin Wilson.
Fazim Abdool, lifting in the men’s 120kg class, broke the open and masters’ one deadlift national records after pulling a mammoth 296kg (652 lbs) off the platform. His squat of 310kg (682 lbs) and bench press of 210kg (462 lbs) and subsequent total of 816kg (1795 lbs) enabled him to be rewarded with the coveted Best Lifter trophy.
Hunter, the prodigious 17-year-old strongman, arguably provided the highlight of the meet, breaking (unofficially) the world sub-junior bench press world record.
Benching an eye-popping 175 kg (385 lbs), some 5kg above the world record, Hunter lifted in the 83kg sub junior and men’s open classes, setting the foundation for a record-breaking day by squatting 272.5kg (600 lbs). Cramps in his left quad sustained while attempting his first deadlift almost forced him to bomb out, but after sitting out his second deadlift, he returned to pull 220kg (485 lbs) off the mat to record a total of 667.5kg (1471 lbs).
On the warm afternoon, Hunter set two new open records in the squat and bench press and three new sub-junior records in the squat, bench press, and total.
Seenarine, the standout female for the day, was not to be outdone as she established eight records. The 23-year-old lifting in the 52kg junior and open classes had a best squat
of 125kg (275 lbs), a best bench of 52.5kg (115 lbs), and a best deadlift of 132.5kg (292 lbs). They were all records for the two classes. Her total of 310kg (683 lbs) was also recorded as two records.
The two other females, Kezia Joseph (69kg) and Talicia Garrett (84+ kg), emerged in first place in their respective divisions and were awarded medals.
The other Abdool, Saif, was also in record-breaking mode, recording four.
Lifting in the 93kg sub-junior equipped division, Saif rewrote the record books after setting new marks in the squat 210kg (462 lbs), bench press 120kg (264 lbs), deadlift 210 kg (462 lbs), and total 540kg (1190 lbs).
Notes: Earlier in 2023, the GAPLF and its athletes competed with distinction at three World Championships as well as the FESUPO Championships. The Federation also hosted the Novice, Intermediate, Masters, and Raw competitions.
Among the sponsors for yesterday’s event were the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, the National Sports Commission, Fitness Express, the Office of the Prime Minister, and E-Master Corporation.
