IT WAS the first competition for the year and while no national records were equalled or broken, three lifters showed their worth, two in the Novices and one in the Juniors for the National Powerlifting event.In the Novices, Orin Alleyne of Upper Demerara Barbell Club was considered the best of all the new male lifters on the day, while the diminutive Britney Mack – the shortest and youngest female on show – was adjudged the best girl.

In the Junior Division Rudolph Blackman took the top honours.
The best lifter is determined by what’s called the Wilks Coefficient or Wilks Formula and it is used to measure the strength of a lifter against other powerlifters despite the different weight classes.
With 36 lifters registered – three as guest lifters – the day was going to be a long one; nine hours from the time it started to the time the winners were announced.
There were six females split into three divisions. Mack of Life Gym at age 16 beat off her lone competitor in the 47kg class, Tacina D’Aguiar, 17 years of age.
Mack’s best squat on the day was 107.5kg and her deadlift 105kg. She and D’Aguiar both had a bench press of 25kg, but Mack’s winning total was 237.5kg, against D’Aguiar’s 195kg.
There were also two lifters in the 63kg class. Nadina Taharally won over Shellon Nicholas.
Taharally took victory in the squats with 107.5kg. Nicholas managed 95kg as her best and while both had 47.5kg bench press, Nicholas held the edge in the deadlift at 107.5kg. Taharally totalled 255kg, five more than Nicholas.
In the 84kg class, Tia Telford put in the work in the deadlift to take victory. She trailed Tracy Shamshudeen in the squat, while they both had a finishing weight of 52.5kg on the bench press. Telford out-pulled Shamshudeen by 32kg (132kg) to take the win. Telford totalled 272kg while Samshudeen registered 257kg.

When the best weights of all the ladies along with their bodyweight were calculated according to Wilks – the tiny Mack registered 319.41 to take the best lifter title.
In the Male Novices, Alleyne was in competition with himself. His squat of 275kg set the tone in the 83kg class, he benched 147.5kg and deadlifted 237.5kg for a winning total of 612kg. No other lifter came close. Denzil Hopkinson was second with 552.5kg and Vickram Panday 3rd at 515kg.
Other category winners were: 59kg Me yo sal Headley – sq 120kg, bp 75kg, dl 160kg for a total of 355kg in the 59kg class.
Derran Harris – sq 192kg, bp 115kg, dl 199kg for a total of 502kg in the 66kg class.
Rawle Porter – sq 165kg, bp 120kg, dl 190kg, totalling 475kg in the 74kg division;
Dennis Adams – sq 209.5kg, bp 167.5kg, dl 167.5kg for a total of 576.5kg in the 93kg division.
Matthew Levi – sq 120kg, bp 90kg, dl, 155kg, totalling 370kg in the 120kg class
When the top 3 finishers in each division were pitted against each other on paper – Alleyne came out the best lifter, Wilks giving him 433.3.
And in the Junior Division with six lifters to the bar Rudolph Blackman squatted 272.5kg, bench-pressed 172.5kg and pulled 280kg in the deadlift for a total of 725kg. His Wilks for the best lifter title was 514.96.
Darren Ramotar 660kg was 2nd in regular competition and Imran Mohammed 625kg in third.

(By Leeron Brumell)