Local powerlifter retains title in the US
He lifted a combined 675.5kg to retain his World Powerlifting Congress masters men 50-54 90.1 to 100kg title.
Old Bens Sports Club President Warren Brits expressed his excitement after retaining his world title and winning South Africa another gold at the World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) Championships held in Chicago, USA, from November 12 to 17.
Weighing 98.75kg during the competition, Brits displayed incredible strength as he lifted 675.5kg to successfully defend his men’s 50-54 masters 90.1kg to 100kg title he won in Manchester last year.
This means that Brits can lift almost seven times his body weight and deadlift triple his body weight in one go.
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“I was pleased to retain my title, despite my preparation and training not the same level as last year,” Brits said.
In the squat, he opened with 200kg and increased that to 220kg in the second round before closing with 240kg.
On the bench, he pressed 120kg and recorded a personal best of 132.5kg but couldn’t lift 142kg in the last round.
He then deadlifted 280kg before breaking his world record when he lifted 303kg in his second lift, an increase of 0.5kg from the 302.5kg he lifted during the WPC SA Beast Mode Power Wars at Urban Shack Benoni in June.
“I felt more at ease competing this year. While I was hoping to extend my record of 302.5kg by a larger margin, I am happy I could increase it, even if by only a small margin. A slight mishap on the bar tweaked my back and I couldn’t risk any further attempts,” he said.
The powerlifter’s final numbers were 132.5kg for bench press, 303kg deadlift and 240kg in the squat, which was a personal best, for a combined total of 675.5kg, an increase of 4.5kg from the last world championships.
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“I was stoked to increase my overall total by 4.5kg to 675.5kg. But I feel I should have had at least added another 5kg onto that.
“Some minor injuries held me back, but I overcame them in time to build into this year’s competition. Thanks to my gym partner, who knew when to push me and when to put the brakes on.”
The country was also represented by Sibusiso Mthembu who clinched a silver in his category and Mark Esch, who won a gold in the masters’ men 55-59 category.
