After lifting a total of 497.5kg and earning a gold medal at the recently completed Pan America Powerlifting Championships, rising star, Gumendra Shewdas has established himself as the number one 53kg male sub junior powerlifter.
In a recent release from the International Powerlifting Federation, the 18-year old from the Ancient County was seeded as the leading lifter in his weight class for the World Sub Juniors/Juniors Championships slated for August 25 to September 1 in Killeen, Texas, USA.
The runner up junior Sportsman of the Year old total of 477.0kgs posted in February has been eclipsed by his Pan American total giving hope that he will secure Guyana’s second world title.
Winston Stoby, 74kg Master Two world record holder, captured the nation’s first world title last year at the World Masters Champion-ships. According to a release however, the Guyana Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) has exhausted its funds on the Caribbean and Pan American Champion-ships hence significant corporate financing is needed to make Shewdas’ dream a reality. Before February, The Total Fitness Gym lifter had a total of 385kg but has since improved by leaps and bounds. So what has caused such drastic improvements?
“It is a combination of me pushing myself more in gym and a better diet,” Shewdas disclosed to this publication yesterday via telephone.
“Basically it is the same work I do in gym but I have added more weights because I am more confident in my abilities.”
When asked how he felt to be seeded as number one in his category Shewdas stated:
“Winning and being number one is always a good feeling but until I am officially listed (as number one) and have the hardware to show I will continue to train like I am number eight.”
The Guyana born and bred lifter is now in his last year as a sub junior and ready to bring glory to his country and hometown. His expenses have been tagged at some USD $1700 (airfare, meals, accommodation, competition and drug testing fees). With his outstanding performance at the Pan Am Championships which concluded in Orlando, Florida, USA last weekend, Shewdas has also become the second powerlifter from Guyana to be selected for the Intern-ational WADA ADAMS whereabouts programme requiring him to be on 24 hours notice for international out-of-competition/in-competition testing. He follows in the footsteps of five-time Caribbean Powerlifting champion, Randolph ‘The Accomp-lisher’ Morgan. Powerlifting remains the only discipline in the country whose athletes are on the WADA Drug testing programme known as ADAMS. No lifter has been tested positive to date.
Starting lineup (World Sub Juniors):
1. Gumendras Shewdas GUYANA 477.5kgs – (Best total posted recently 497.5kgs)
2. Dalton La Coe USA 455.0kgs
3. Azamat Asultanov RUSSIA 442.5kgs
4. Kazuma Arai JAPAN 435.0kgs
5. Alexei Kulakov RUSSIA 432.5kgs
6. Tetsuharu Katsuta JAPAN 405.0kgs
7. Erick Aguilar ECUADOR 377.5kgs.
This can be verified from the IPF Home page www. IPF Powerlifting Federation.
