THE Guyana Amateur Power lifting Federation (GAPLF) will host the first unequipped tournament in honour of Linden’s Samuel Barker. The event will be held in Barker’s hometown on August 20. According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GAPLF, Denroy Livan, this event will take on a different twist.
“This would not be the typical three-lift meet; we are just doing two lifts. This one is a push and pull, so it’s the bench press and dead lift. It’s an open invitation therefore to anybody who feels strong enough and up to it to come and compete.”
He indicated too that this is part of the body’s move to promote the sport throughout Guyana and not centralise it to Georgetown. The PRO indicated that they will also be seeking to unearth new talent when they head to Linden with the aim of widening the current pool. The inaugural tournament, he noted, will also assist in keeping the body’s calendar active.
Meanwhile the GAPLF spokesman reminded that Barker was an avid sportsman who loved to lift.
“Samuel Barker, as we might all remember, was a well-known sports personality coming out of Linden. He was very instrumental in developing power-lifting to some extent in Linden. When you hear about Colin Chesney and Dawn Barker, they were directly linked to the influence of Samuel Barker, so we have named this championship in his honour.”
According to the GAPLF, registration will close for the Samuel Barker Classic on August 15. Unequipped power lifting is where a lifter is not allowed any support mechanisms like special belts.