Guyanese strongmen continued the impressive trend of their counterparts at the fourth IPF/NAPF Caribbean Islands Bench Press and Powerlifting Championships at the Princess Hotel yesterday.
Two-time Caribbean and North American and one-time Pan American champion John ‘Big John’ Edwards and Farouk Abdool won gold medals yesterday in the 125kg and 110kg men’s Open categories respectively.
Edwards overcame some initial slip-ups in the squat when he missed his first attempt at 327.5 (722lbs) but eventually posted a new record of 350kg (771lbs) in the event on his last attempt.
Edwards, 42, never was threatened by any competitor in his weight class but rather pushed the envelope and matched lifts with 125kg and more weight class. He would then go on to set a new record of 295kg (650lbs) in the Deadlift and a new overall total 860. Abdool main threat was Guyanese Mark Seymour, who took the silver medal. It was a weighty tug-o-war between the two lifters. In the first two attempts in the squat event Abdool bettered the weight each time and in the third attempt Seymour (295kg) bettered Abdool’s (280kg) attempt.
The same continued in the Bench Press but Seymour missed his last attempt of 155kg (341lbs) before Berbician Abdool breezed flawlessly through with a last attempt of 157.5kg (347.2lbs). At the two gladiators final attempts the race for the top spot was almost on a level playing field; Seymour went first and lifted 250kg (551lbs) and momentarily took the gold medal position before Abdool snatched it right back with a comfortable pickup of 265kg (584lbs).
The room erupted with cheers as Guyanese athletes were in first and second positions again. Another battle that enthralled the audience yesterday was between Guyanese Karel Mars and Trinidad & Tobago’s Adrian Brown in the 100kg weight class.
While Mars made weightlifting look like a Sunday afternoon stroll Brown made it seem as natural as breathing. Although Brown was always in front Mars gave him constant reminders that he had to maintain his high standards to win the title and Brown so concurred.
Brown broke a record on his first squat with 307.5 (677.9lbs) but both he and Mars (272.2kg/600.8) failed their last two attempts. In the bench press Mars was flawless nailing his last attempt with a 177.5kg (391.3lbs); Brown failed at this weight but he was already in the lead after the first two routines.
Brown achieved two records when he deadlifted 277.5 (611.8lbs) and then topped off with a total of 755kg overall; Mars finished with 727.5kgs in the competition. In other results Guyanese Errol ‘Big Man’ Henry, competing in the 90kg category, had the crowd behind him the entire day with his energy his best lifts were 230kg (507.1), 132.5kg (292.1) and 240kg (529lbs) in the squat, bench press and deadlift respectively. United States Virgin Islands’ (USVI) William Schouten left many in awe when he squatted 815.7lbs (370kg). However, it was Hayden Hudson, who many felt did not do his talent justice. He lifted almost effortlessly and of his two misses he had there were both time lapses. Puerto Rico’s Ramon Burgos, who is a junior, set three records in the 90kg weight class in the men’s open. He best squat of 310kg (683lbs) and bench press of 177.5 (391.3) were records before he closed out with a record total of787.5kg.
Meanwhile, Guyanese Bhojnarine Jagnarine won the Masters M-3 category with Abdool taking the silver medal; Winston Stoby copped gold in the Masters M-2 category and Henry was second. Guyanese Anis Ade Thomas got the silver in the junior category, Wazim Immamdeen bronze with Burgos taking the gold.
