Competing in the 105kg class and one of the toughest groups in the men’s championships, Guyanese lifter and Caribbean champion Karel Mars finished just outside the medals at the North America Regional Powerlifting championships on Saturday in Miami.
He finished fifth, two days after his compatriot Dawn Barker snatched gold in the 105kg and over weight division.
Mars was the best placed Caribbean lifter followed by Trinidadian lifters Jesse Johnson and Adrian Brown.
The eventual winner of the division was world rated lifter John McDonald of Canada with a total of 897.5kgs
while Steve Goggins and Tyler Gerfers had identical totals of 835kgs for second; and Antonio Sosa of Puerto Rico with 797.5kg placed fourth.
Mars lifted a total of 800kgs.
In an e-mail to Stabroek Sport, Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) president Peter Green said with more time and “steadfast application” he is confident that Mars will move up in the rankings.
He also expressed the GAPF’s gratitude to George MacDonald of Banks DIH, Troy Cadogan of Ansa McAl and Reginald Persaud of International Pharmaceutical Agen-cy (IPA) for their companies’ support in launching the careers of Barker, Mars, Kenneth Melville and repeat champions John Edwards and Randolph Morgan.
