Guyana confident of doing well as competition lifts off today in Peru

The two lone females on the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) Team to the 2023 edition of the 10th Annual FESUPO Regional Powerlifting Championships here in Lima, Peru, Keisha Abrigo and debutant, Sarah Sanmogan, will open their quest for individual glory, today.

The affiliated nations to FESUPO have all gathered in Peru and like Guyana will be going after glory in the Classic and Equipped competitions.

Close to 100 athletes from nations the likes of Brazil, Suriname, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Columbia, and the home nation would be engaged in stiff battles on the platform in the three-lifts, squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Sanmogan, who would be contesting the 69kg category will be the first in the spotlight, and while this is her first competition at this level, she is confident of doing Guyana proud. Abrigo, who copped the Best Female Lifter Overall at the GAPLF’s just concluded Raw Nationals, is also confident of building on that success and medaling for Guyana.

Team Guyana, Managed by Federation President and Coached by USA-based Kerma Singh arrived in Peru just after lunch yesterday. IPF Level 11 Referee, Andrew Austin is also part of the team.

Wilson has informed that the confidence among the team members is high and they are all backing each other to do well individually and as a collective. The members have all said that they would be building on the success of their colleagues at the Senior World as well as the Sub-Junior and Junior World championships which took place in Malta in June and just recently, in Romania.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Kheon Evans, another debutant, will be competing in the 83kg division while on Friday, Wazim Mohamed (93kg), Leroy Trotman (93kg), and Bjorn Williams (105kg) will take to the platform.

The lone athlete competing in the equipped segment of the competition, USA-based Naranjan Singh, who will be celebrating his 79th birthday, next month, will be contesting the Men’s Masters 4, competition.

The GAPLF is expressing sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, National Sports Commission, Guyana Olympic Association, John Fernandes Limited, the National Milling Company of Guyana, and 592Tees for making the team’s trip to Peru, a reality.