WHEN 2024 World Classic Open Powerlifting Championships’ 93kg Squat record holder Carlos ‘the Show stopper’ Petterson-Griffith disembarked his flight from Lithuania close to 1 AM Sunday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, he was given a well-deserved ‘welcome home’ ceremony.

There was a fusion of pulsating drumming by the Young Warriors Tassa drummers from Good Hope, East Coast and the ‘592 Drummers 4 Life’ Congo drummers from Alberttown.
An entertaining Indigenous dance sequence, performed by the Riverside Angles, was also a part of the early-morning celebrations to honour the ‘show-stopper’ who was greeted by his fiancée Candace Lam and his 19-month-old toddler Charles, which is the English name for Carlos.

The 30-year-old Petterson-Griffith, who finished 5th overall in a field of 34 competitors, etched his name in the annals of world history by setting a new benchmark for the squat with a mammoth 337.5 kg (744.06 lbs), besting the previous mark of 337 kg held by American Gavin Adin.

He became only the second Guyanese Powerlifter to achieve a world record following Winston Stoby’s world record 272.5 kg in the deadlift in the 74. kg weight class at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships in Texas, USA, in 2012.

There were speeches from Assistant Director of Sports and President of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) President Franklin Wilson and General Secretary Roger Rogers, Director of Sport (DoS), Petterson-Griffith and Stoby.

Wilson congratulated Petterson-Griffith on his achievement and described the occasion as ‘significant and historic.
“We are here to celebrate an auspicious occasion since winning a world record in any sport is a great achievement,” stated Wilson, who thanked Sports Minister Charles Ramson, Ninvalle and the NSC and by extension, the government for their assistance.

“We [the GAPLF] have received support from the government for four international competitions and we have medalled in every one of them.
Winston Stoby was a trailblazer who achieved Guyana’s first world record in Powerlifting and is being recognised for his achievement over a decade ago” informed Wilson.
The GAPLF Head informed that Romio Hunter will travel to Malta in August as a sub-Junior and posited that bigger things are on the horizon for the sport and for Guyana.

The 65-year-old Stoby, a former national rugby player, picked up powerlifting due to a shoulder injury in Rugby which required weights therapy and went on to make his international debut in 1993.
Ninvalle congratulated Petterson-Griffith and promised that the GoG, Ministry of Sports and NSC will continue to support Carlos and GAPLF.

“Carlos is known as the ‘show stopper,’ but he is really the ‘Show Starter’; his achievement in Lithuania is the start of many world records for Guyanese powerlifters. Carlos has lifted a nation” said the Director of Sport.
“What Carlos did should be an example for other athletes that if they work hard, be dedicated and love what they do, they don’t have to go overseas to achieve world acclaim at the international level. Carlos achieved that feat right here in the Gym at home” emphasised Ninvalle, who is also President of the GBA.

“Having promised to rock the world, that is exactly what he did when he achieved what no other Guyanese in any sport has done: claim a world record.
Carlos fulfilled his promise to Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr, made just before heading to the airport that he would set a world record. Ninvalle continued, explaining that Minister Ramson was overseas or else he would have been here.

Carlos said that he tries his best to set the bar high and spoke of some of the hurdles he overcame.
The Guyanese arrived in Lithuania about seven hours before competition and was faced with another challenge of having to shave off 2kgs to make the 93kg weight.

“With no rest in 32 hours due to travelling, I worked with my Coach Dexter Jones to shed the weight while the top four lifters had three to four days before the start of the tournament. There was a lot of respect for me by the competitors.”
Petterson-Griffith achieved a best bench-press of 177.5kg while his best deadlift was 345.0kg.

“I attempted 370 as the competition to the top three medals was very fierce, but began cramping just before completing the lift.
“I decided not [to] try for the overall winner since my hamstring could blow and as we say in Guyana, live to fight another day,” explained the strongman from the Space Gym.
The overall winner of the 93kg class was Sweden’s Gustav Hedlund who was second in the squat with 327.5kg.

Carlos expressed gratitude to his sponsors—Fitness Express, Digicel, and Superior Concrete.
Meanwhile, Carlos’ coach, Dexter Jones, hailed his athlete’s performance as “remarkable, given the short ‘prep’ time, the seemingly improbable but necessary targets that were established to get him into a competitive position and mind-numbing prospect of competing at the most prestigious Power Lifting Competition ever.”

He acknowledged the support from the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) under the guidance of President Franklin Wilson and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, highlighting their commitment to leveraging technological advancements in athletes preparation to bolster Guyana’s standing on the global stage.

Wilson, on behalf of the GAPLF and the powerlifting community, congratulated Carlos “for bringing himself and the nation great joy with his historic performance.”
According to Wilson, “We are proud of this achievement, which further strengthened the foundation for the sport to advance even more. He has worked hard and is very dedicated to the sport, and we are all that this is another hurdle crossed in his still-growing career.”