The Raw Powerlifting Championships was hosted yesterday at Life’s Gym in Lusignan and a pair of 15 year-olds, Angel Chappelle and Romeo Hunter, were among the record breaking performers.
Hunter, of Mon Repos Gym, entered the platform and chalked up herculean lift after lift, among them giant bench presses and deadlifts.
The teen, lifting in the 74kg class, had most of the adults in awe lifting multiple times his bodyweight.
Hunter, who broke men’s sub junior and national Open records, had a best bench of 140kg and a mammoth deadlift of 200kgs, almost three times his weight.
The petite Chappelle, of Kares CrossFit, was the youngest female on the platform and won the 52kg class showing plenty of promise for years to come.
Meanwhile, on a day when several records were broken, Romario Gonsalves ensured his name was written in the record books.
The 23-year-old, lifting in the 66kg class, was in sublime form. Enroute to smashing several national records, his standout achievement was lifting 250kg off the platform in his final deadlift.
Keisha Abrigo, 29, was not to be outdone, the strongest female on the platform and best female lifter overall, also rewrote the record books. However, her deadlift in excess of 400lbs had the 69kg strong woman and the crowd amped up as she high-fived everyone in sight after completing the record breaking feat.
Up to press time, the official results and number of records broken were still to be officially determined, however Stabroek Sport will keep readers updated in a subsequent article.
The Raw Championships provide the best platform to prove the lifter’s true power.
Technically speaking, “raw” in the world of powerlifting means lifting with little to no additional equipment (lifting belts, bench shirts, wrist wraps, knee sleeves, etc.).
In competition, raw lifting means that athletes are allowed to use minimal equipment which must be approved by whatever federation is hosting the meet.
