74-kilogramme Masters Two deadlift World record holder, Winston ‘Little Master’ Stoby, along with other local powerlifters won gold medals and smashed Commonwealth and World records last year enabling the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) to lift the association of the year award.
In an interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday, ‘The Little Master’ who lifted his way to earn runner up sportsman of the year, pointed out the lack of sponsorship that local power lifters endure.
Touching on the sponsorship dilemma, Stoby bemoaned, “We should not have to be running here and there for sponsorship, I would love for a company to endorse some local power lifters because we are world class athletes, we would love to be brand ambassadors and be under some company’s umbrella promoting and endorsing their products because I think we have reached that level now.”
He added, “There are about 10 local world-rated power lifters and it will be good for power lifting and any company and I guess the government can pitch in some more I mean when a cricket team leaves here they represent the country not one person or a specific set of people”, Stoby pointed out.
Once there is adequate sponsorship, the national power lifters will have chances to make Guyana proud at the Pan Am Games in July, the World Masters’ Championships in October and the Commonwealth Games in December.
He said that he expects the Federation and its lifters to raise the bar even further in 2013. Power lifter Dawn Barker who was the 2011’s Sports woman of the year was adjudged the runner up sports woman of 2012.
“I expect greater things from our athletes and the federation” said Stoby who won two individual gold medals and a bronze medal at last year’s World Masters’ Championships in Kileen, Texas.
“Every year we have been improving and I expect this year to be the same, the federation and the lifters have done a good job”. I envision a better 2013 across the board, we have the talent and the award we will receive was well deserved”. Stoby declared.
The 53-year old Stoby has career best of 255kg (562.27 pounds) in the squat, 140kg (308.70 pounds) in the bench press and 272.5kg (600.86 pounds) in the deadlift for a total of 667.5kg (1,471.83 pounds).
In 2012, Stoby was a double gold medalist at the Caribbean Powerlifting Championships in the 74kg Men Open and Masters M2 Categories.
