THE stand-out performers at yesterday’s Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) National Senior Championships at St. Stanislaus College were Fazim Abdool, Romeo Hunter, Saif Abdool, and Nangita Seenarine.

This quartet delivered outstanding performances, securing marquee medals and trophies. Following tradition, the year-end fixture served as the federation’s finale, capping off a successful year under the leadership of Franklin Wilson.

Competing in the Men’s 120kg class, Fazim Abdool broke both the open and masters’ deadlift national records with an impressive 296kg (652 lbs) lift. His squat of 310kg (682 lbs) and bench press of 210kg (462 lbs) contributed to a total of 816kg (1795 lbs), earning him the coveted Best Lifter trophy.

Seventeen-year-old Romeo Hunter, a prodigious strongman, unofficially broke the world sub-junior bench press record by lifting an astonishing 175kg (385 lbs), surpassing the world record by 5kg. Despite facing cramps during his first deadlift attempt, Hunter rebounded to set new records in squat, bench press, and total in both open and sub-junior categories.

Nangita Seenarine, the stand-out female athlete, established eight records in the 52kg junior and open classes. Her lifts, including a best squat of 125kg (275 lbs), a best bench of 52.5kg (115 lbs), and a best deadlift of 132.5kg (292 lbs), set new benchmarks for both classes. Her total of 310kg (683 lbs) also recorded two additional records.

In their respective divisions, Kezia Joseph (69kg) and Talicia Garrett (84+kg) secured first place and received medals.

Saif Abdool, another record-breaker, achieved four records in the 93kg sub-junior equipped division. His lifts included a squat of 210kg (462 lbs), bench press of 120kg (264 lbs), deadlift of 210kg (462 lbs), and a total of 540kg (1190 lbs).

In 2023, GAPLF and its athletes excelled at three World Championships and the FESUPO Championships. The federation also hosted Novice, Intermediate, Masters, and Raw competitions. Sponsors for the event included the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the National Sports Commission, Fitness Express, The Office of the Prime Minister, and E-Master Corporation.