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World Junior & Sub-Junior Powerlifting Championships
The team of thirteen athletes returned from South Africa, after a very positive trip, with Mark Gregory taking Bronze in the Junior 100kg Class (including Bronze in the Squat and Bench) and Guy Djedje taking a Silver medal on the Bench in the Junior 110kg Class. In addition both the Sub-Junior and the Junior men's teams placed in the top ten, a fantastic achievement, especially given that for the vast majority, this was their first experience of international competition. All the lifters have attended squad sessions hosted by the club in the build up to Championships, and some on a more regular basis including Faisal Ahmed Spaul from the team sessions, and Guy Djedje and Daniel Taylor who attended Club Sessions in the run up to September. The group was overseen by John Halfacre, Rebecca Yeoh and Ben Banks, all volunteers from the Club.
Monday
After taking Sunday to recover from the mammoth trip to South Africa, Chloe Lambeth was first up to compete for Great Britain in the Women's Sub-Junior 48kg Class. Chloe opened with a strong 87.5kg squat, before successfully taking 95kg. With the some confusion over a lifter retaking a lift, Chloe had her legs wrapped for some time before her final attempt and after hitting good depth with 102.5kg, the weight pulled her forward leaving her unable to complete the lift. In the Bench Press, Chloe made all three attempts including a personal best of 50kg. In a very competitive class Chloe needed a good deadlift to secure her place in the top ten. Her opening lift of 102.5kg was comfortable. Jumping to 112.5kg for her second attempt, Chloe again looked strong and moved up the ranking to 9th place with 257.5kg. With 8th place out of reach, Chloe attempted to improve her total with 117.5kg, but it got stuck just over her knees.
Tuesday Lifting first for the Men's Sub-Junior team, only just turning 16, Kieran Doble took on six lifters in the 60kg class. Sinking his opening squat of 135kg deep for white lights, he was unable to rise with his second and third attempt at 145kg. Still suffering from the flights, Kieran did well to hit his original openers of 60kg on the Bench and 145kg on the deadlift, to get 5th place with a 340kg total. With two more years as a Sub-Junior, this experience should hopefully help Kieran's lifting develop into a podium finish in future years.
Wednesday
Next up in
the Women's Junior 67.5kg class, was Louise Watton, again against some
very strong competitors among the class of eight. After struggling for
depth in the warm-up Louise opened l In the evening session, Craig Cutler stepped up in the Men's Sub-Junior 75kg class. After some big improvements in the squat and deadlift in training, Craig knew he stood an outside chance of a podium position in these two disciplines if he lifted well. Craig got good depth on his opening squat of 200kg, cruising the weight to lockout, jumping up to 215kg for his second attempt. On the board, Craig got fired up and really attacked the weight, lifting it strong, but a bit short on depth, he got red lights. For his last attempt sticking on 215kg, he sunk it deep and eventually ground the weight to lock out for white lights. Moving on to the Bench, Craig had struggled to hold his line in the squads, but committing himself on his opening attempt of 115kg, he brought the bar down fast, before firing it to lockout. Jumping to 127.5kg for his second attempt, again he pressed the weight with ease. For his final attempt, he stepped up again to 135kg, 5kg more than he had lifted in the gym, clearly thriving off the atmosphere Craig came back to lift the weight comfortably once again. In deadlift, Craig was keen to get off to good start, but with a moment's slip in concentration, he started the pull, only to stop and then fire the weight up. Unfortunately the initial effort was counted by two of three referees, and they gave him red lights accordingly. However, making the pull easily, Craig moved up slightly to 210kg, for which he made no mistakes cruising the lift. With a close class on the deadlift, Craig would need 242.5kg, a big personal best, to take the American in 5th place, and also to leave him with a good chance of a podium finish in the deadlift. Firing the weight off the floor, Craig just got stuck a third of the way up his thigh. With 6th place, and a 560kg total at only 17 years old, a year's good training should leave him in a podium position in the Sub-Juniors next year.
Thursday On the fourth day, things began to get more intense, with three British lifters competing and some phenomenal lifting from Russia with the eventual Best Lifter, Vladimir Sholskiy, including a 370kg squat at 90kg. First up for Great Britain was Rachel Cork in the Women's Junior 82.5kg class. Rachel opened with a strong 135kg squat, and moved up to 145kg for her second also successful attempt. Lacking confidence on the 145kg, Rachel took a modest increase to 150kg, only to make the lift comfortably for a competition best. In the Bench Press, Rachel pressed 75kg for her opening attempt, before progressing to a personal best of 80kg, but this proved to be her limit as she was unable to finish her final attempt on 82.5kg. After pulling her opening deadlift of 145kg, Rachel was secure in 6th place, but 5th place was too distant, so she went for a best of 160kg. But driving the bar fast off the floor, Rachel re-bent her knees to finish the lift, receiving red lights for hitching the bar. Re-taking the 160kg for her final attempt, she again lifted the weight strong, but a very slight re-bend of the knees drew two strict red lights. Rachel finished with 377.5kg and 6th place, with one more year as a Junior. In the evening Nathan Clarke and Nick Shotton-Gale stepped up in the most competitive class, the Junior 82.5kg. Nick received nine white lights, hitting good depth with his three squats opening at 185kg, moving to 195kg and finally 205kg for a personal best. Meanwhile Nathan just sunk his opening 200kg deep enough to receive two white lights, but despite firing 215kg up for both his second and third attempts failed to satisfy two of the judges on his depth. Moving to the Bench Press, both Nathan and Nick hit their opening lifts of 115kg and 130kg respectively. Nathan and Nick were unable to press their second attempts, but both came through in the final round to make the weights lifting 120kg and 137.5kg. In the Deadlift, Nathan secured 12th place with his opening 230kg pull, only to improve his total with a well ground out 240kg. After such a hard fought lift, he did well to come back and pull an extra 5kg, only to be denied for a slight hitch. Meanwhile Nick was in 14th place after his strong opening lift of 185kg. Jumping to 200kg, he moved ahead of the Nigerian in 13th place with another strong lift. Going for a personal best of 210kg for his third attempt he had run out of steam. Nathan finished 12th with 560kg, closely followed by Nick with 542.5kg in 13th.
Friday
This was
the busiest day for team GB, with four lifters competing. First up were
our the Sub-Junior 90kg competitors Aaron Cooper and Dan Taylor. Going
head to head, Dan was first to lift opening at 190kg on the Squat. Dan
had been struggling to hit a convincing depth following a car accident
in the build up to the competition, but did well to sink his opener for
three white lights. Aaron following with a smooth 200kg squat, again
receiving white lights. In the second round, Dan hit a confident 200kg,
calling for 210kg in the final round. But unfortunately Aaron's 210kg
second attempt was a bit high, leaving both lifters with the same weight
in the final round. Aaron was first to the platform, and just dropped an
extra half inch to satisfy the referees and get the lift, leaving the
pressure on Dan. Dan attacked weight, but let his knees shoot forward
In the Bench Press, Aaron opened with an easy 120kg, lifting without his bench shirt which had begun to tear. Dan opening with the same weight, muscled it to lock-out. In the second round, Dan did well to finish his 127.5kg, while Aaron completed another comfortable lift at 130kg. In the final round an extra 5kg proved too much for Dan, leaving him 12.5kg behind Aaron and 100g heavier on bodyweight. Aaron put up a good fight with 140kg, only for the weight to get stuck half way.
In the
Deadlift the battle between the two British lifters continued, and also
there was a chance to move up into 6th place ahead of the South African.
Dan was first to lift with a smooth 190kg, moved up to 205kg to close
the gap on Aaron, who looked strong with 200kg. Dan pulled hard to
finish the 205kg, b
Also in the same session as Dan and Aaron, Joseph Walton competed as a light 100kg in the Sub-Juniors. After struggling with depth in the build up to the competition Joe really blew away his opening 190kg, hitting good depth and receiving white lights. Jumping to 205kg for his second attempt, he lifted the weight comfortably but was a bit short on depth. Still looking confident with the weight, he took a small increase to 210kg. This time he stayed with the weight a little bit longer, just satisfying the judges, lifting it smoothly to lockout for a good lift. In the Bench Press, Joe opened with 110kg, pressing the weight fast, he lost control at the top unlocking his elbows, before finishing the lift again, receiving three red lights. Re-taking the weight, he pressed it a bit more smoothly for a good lift. In the final round, he moved up to 120kg, only to lose his line, leaving him unable to finish the press. In the deadlift, Joe struggled to get set in the warm-up room, with the bar drifting away from his shins, but he came out and did well to pull his opening weight of 220kg, leaving him with a 540kg total, he was unable to squeeze out any more in his last two attempts.
I
Fired up,
Mark warmed up to attack for another medal on the Bench, while there
were some interesting developments in the first flight. Another
front-runner, the Kazakh lifter, failed to secure his opening
The Deadlift was not Mark's favourite lift; but with his opening deadlift leaving him in Bronze overall, he knew he would need to improve to fend off challenges from the USA, Canada and Australia. The Polish lifter in the first flight had set a target of 802.5kg for second, and after Mark slowly lifted his opening 240kg, it became clear the 272.5kg he needed for Silver was too much of a gamble, and he needed to put the Bronze medal position out of reach of those below him. Increasing to 247.5kg for his second attempt, Mark looked to put the medal out of reach. With a better set up Mark made the lift with a consistent pull. With each athlete having two changes in the final round, some crazy final deadlifts emerged, possibly trying to trick Mark into taking a bigger jump than he needed, but with Mark first to lift, he looked to move the target slightly higher with 7.5kg extra. With 255kg near his limit, the weight slowly ground up his thigh to lockout and a 787.5kg total. Seeing this, all the challenges dropped their lifts and fought over the lower places, leaving Mark with a well deserved overall Bronze medal. Still a Junior next year, Mark is looking to work on his deadlift to make a bigger challenge in Sao Paulo next year.
Saturday
On the last
day of the Championships, it was time for the heavyweight competitors.
In the morning Guy Djedje was representing Great Britain in the 110kg
Junior class, and in t Guy opened with a fast 250kg on the squat, but just cut the depth and received red lights. However, with six of the nine lifters failing their opening attempts, particularly those at the top of the nominations, the gold medal position in the squat stood at 260kg. After retaking the 250kg, and sinking just a fraction lower, Guy received white lights and called for 262.5kg for his second attempt, which could potentially have left him in gold medal position on the squat. Although coming back and nailing his final lift, the remainder of his class also managed to regain composure and get on the board, pushing Guy down the table.
However,
next up was the Bench Press, Guy's favourite lift. With only 180kg on
his nomination, Guy was looking to surprise his competitors with a
podium finish. Opening with a very easy 200kg, he jumped to 220kg, which
would surely leave him in a medal position. With the Hungarian lifter
missing his opening attempt at 230kg, 220kg would leave Guy in gold
medal position. Strolling out for his lift, Guy pressed the weight
smoothly again. With a guaranteed Bronze, Guy took 232.5kg for his final
attempt to try and secure the gold from the Hungarian, who after missing
his second attempt at 232.5kg was on the verge of bombing. With the
front-running Kazakh lifter failing to improve on 217.5kg, Guy was lift
with a secure Silver medal, his 232.5kg attempt would simply improve on
his total. But outside the competition, the lift would stand to improve
on the current British Record held by Ben Banks at 231kg. After an
awkward lift-out, Guy pressed the weight strong, only to leave his left
arm trailing slightly to receive two reds for a harshly judged 'exaggerated
uneven extension'. Now all eyes fell on the Hungarian's lift of 235kg,
if he made it he would get Gold on the Bench, if he missed it he would
bomb out and Guy would get the gold. Unfortunately for Guy, this time
the Hungarian lifter managed to lift the weight straight to lockout, and
for a second year in a row, pushing a B
The last
lifter for team Great Britain was Faisal Ahmed Spaul just weighing in
over for the 125+kg class. With some big numbers flying around in the
warm up room, Spaul was first out to lift with 230kg on the bar. As
nerves got the better of him, Spaul did a slight dip after the Referee
gave the start signal, before nailing the lift. But with two referees
deeming the dip an attempt, the lift was failed. Next time, with a
slight rush doing his wraps, Spaul went out and sunk the lift, rising
smoothly for white lights. Taking a big jump to 250kg, Spaul was looking
for a competition best. But some confusion on the announcer's table led
to the bar being loaded for Spaul ahead of time, and with Spaul wrapped
and waiting, the bar was reloaded for another lifter before Spaul got a
chance to go. Spaul stayed calm, and attacked the 250kg, getting good
depth but getting stuck midway, he was unable to finish the lift. After
a disappointing Squat, Spaul was looking to beat
Spaul was
looking for a personal best on the deadlift and total, and after a
strong opening lift on 180kg, took a big jump to 210kg, to secure
his first 6
With many of the lifters still with many years as Junior and Sub-Juniors, the future looks bright for the coming years. With some work and a strong team next year, Great Britain might be able to move further up the rankings breaking into the top five in 2010. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, there will be a number of GB athletes looking to fight for their spot on the podium. But before then, they will need to reaffirm their place at the top of the sport at the British Junior Championships 2009.
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ight
with a 110kg squat, which she lifted convincingly before moving up to
120kg. Hitting a good depth with the 120kg, Louise rose smoothly to
lockout, and called for a modest increase to 125kg for her final
attempt. Louise came back for her final lift, and really attacked
weight, making it look very comfortable. At the top of the table
Yulia Medvedeva squatted an impressive 220kg to lead the field. With the
Venezuelan lifter bombing on squat, Louise stood a chance of taking 5th
or 6th place with a good Bench and deadlift. Into the Bench Press,
Louise made all three of her lifts, including a personal best of 82.5kg.
In the deadlift, Louise secured 6th place with a 357.5kg total by
comfortably lifting her first two attempts of 140kg and 150kg. As the
Japanese lifter missed her last deadlift, Louise loaded a 10kg
competition best onto the bar of 165kg, to try to jump up into 5th
place. The weight came quickly off the floor, almost to Louise's
surprise, but she was unable to finish the lift, getting stuck just
above her knees. With one more year as a junior Louise will be looking
to move up the table in next years competition.
as
he hit depth, and then on losing the bar off his back, made his
frustration very evident. 
ut
there seemed little left for his third attempt. Aaron again lifted his
second attempt comfortably only taking a modest increase to 205kg, to
leave Dan needing a big personal best, and hopefully to lure the South
African into a false sense of security. Unfortunately, the South African
lifter made his second attempt, leaving Aaron needing 237.5kg to take
6th place, while Dan also called for 220kg to beat Aaron if he was
unsuccessful. Fired up with the thought of beating his team mate, Dan
ripped 220kg of the floor, and fought the weight up his thighs to a
strong lockout, for white lights, a 547.5kg total and turning the heat
on Aaron. With the South African missing his final attempt, Aaron would
secure 6th place with his final attempt, but if he missed, he would fall
down into 8th with a 545kg total. For a big personal best, Aaron
attacked the weight, but letting the bar drift from his shins, he left
himself a lot of work to do to lock the weight out, and was unable to
summon the extra energy as the weight dug into his mid thigh. Both
lifters competed well and will return home with a renewed focus as they
move into the Juniors next year and prepare for another head to head at
the British Juniors in 2009.
n
the evening session, Mark Gregory was all set to challenge for some
medals in his second World Juniors, and at the heavier weight of 100kg.
In a big class of 16 lifters, Mark needed to lift well to secure a good
position. After some concerns over how loose his suit had become after a
week on a South African diet, Mark opened with a strong and deep 280kg.
Feeling confident, Mark called for 300kg to move himself into Bronze
position in the second round. But with the Russian lifter missing his
opening attempt on depth, Mark's second attempt would move him into
bronze medal position behind the Polish and Kazakh competitors. Again
hitting good depth, Mark was a little slow in the turn around, and was
forced to battle through a tough lift, with seemingly very little left
for his third attempt. The Polish lifter having secured 310kg in the
previous flight at a lighter bodyweight, Mark put up 312.5kg to leave
himself with a chance of anything from Silver to 4th in the Squat. At
the close of the second round, the Venezuelan lifter cruised 310kg, and
moved for 317.5kg for his final attempt. The Kazakh lifter held a
comfortable lead, but the Russian was again denied. With a personal best
on the bar Mark needed this lift to get on the podium, again sinking the
weight deep, he drove out of the hole quickly, and then slowly ground
the
weight up, and eventually finished for three whites and a good lift.
After his lift Mark was in Silver medal position, with the Venezuelan
and Russian to challenge. First up with 317.5kg, the South American
fought the weight up to push Mark down into Bronze, before all eyes fell
on the Russian. A big opening
lift of 335kg, twice denied, he would take gold if successful, and bomb
out, leaving Mark to take Bronze,
if he didn't. Firing the weight down, his knees shot forward, losing the
bar off his back. Mark struggled to contain his excitement from a less
than pleased Russian Camp, securing the Bronze on the first discipline.
192.5kg
opening attempt, and bombed out of the competition, and a light Japanese
lifter waited until the final round to get his big opener of 225kg
passed by the referees. The competition in the class was so great, that
Mark's opening attempt of 210kg, would most likely leave him out of the
medals, so he needed a strong performance to progress onto a medal
challenge. Mark answered with a comfortable press, and loaded 220kg onto
the bar to go for the podium. With the Venezuelan lifter missing his
opening 225kg, Mark's second attempt would match the Australian weighing
80g heavier and move him into Silver medal position. Mark responded with
a smooth press earning three white lights, and calling for a final
227.5kg to challenge for Gold. However, the Venezuelan was awarded his
second attempt at 225kg, but with the Australian missing his 230kg
attempt, left Mark in Bronze medal position, with a chance at Gold. With
another personal best on the bar, Mark drove strong from his chest, and
battled the weight up, only for his left arm to lag leaving a distinct
uneven lockout, and red lights. Only the Australian could deny Mark the
Bronze medal, and in doing so take th
e
Gold. Letting the bar drift low he fired the weight over his face and
caught by the spotters and the safety pins, leaving Mark with Bronze on
the Bench and a shot at Bronze or even Silver overall.
he
afternoon Faisal Ahmed Spaul was competing as a light 125kg+ Junior.
ritish lifter one space down the
rankings. 
the Oman lifter, and set a personal best on the Bench. Spaul's opening
attempt at 150kg was comfortable, before moving to a competition best of
160kg to stay ahead of the Oman lifter with 155kg. Spaul hit the weight
well off of his chest and muscled it to lockout for white lights. With
the lifter from Oman failing on 165kg, Spaul's final attempt at 170kg,
would just increase on his previous personal best. Letting the bar drift
a little low on his chest, he ground the weight up, but with his right
arm locking first, he was unable to finish with his left.
00kg
total. Again the lift looked strong, so Spaul went for a 20kg personal
best of 220kg. With the Hungarian lifter bombing out on 215kg, Spaul had
secured 6th place and lifted his final attempt smoothly for a big
competition best and a 610kg total. Meanwhile at the top of the table,
after missing a massive 400kg squat, the Polish lifter pulled 350kg to
matched the Russian's 970kg total and win on bodyweight.