32nd Mens Open World Championships
The 32nd annual IPF World Powerlifting Championships were held in Trencin, Slovakia from November 13-17, 2002. Trencin -- pronounced "Tren-cheen" -- is an absolutely beautiful city located in central Slovakia, between the historic capital of Bratislava and industrial municipality of Zilina. Originally a Roman military encampment and colony, the city was founded during the start of the second millennium before Christ. Interestingly enough, at the highest point in Trencin, stands a towering and fortified castle that overlooks the city, with the actual construction of the immense fortress dating back to the 11th century. This castle is one of the foremost and premier landmarks and symbols of the city. For all you European history buffs, this castle was built on a huge towering rock, on which, you will find etched into the limestone, the Roman inscription (In Latin of course) "…to the victory of the emperors troops…" Fascinatingly enough, this message commemorates the victory of the Roman emperor Markus Aurelius in the battle over the Germanic tribe of the Quadi in 179 A.C. A battle, which had significant importance to the Roman Empire during this period of time, which allowed them to stretch their borders and influence deep into the heart of Europe as we know it today. Other breathtaking sites include the captivating walk up the steep hills leading to the castle, where along the way you can find the beautiful Catholic Parish Church of the Virgin Mary. Other important landmarks of Trencin include, the Old Town Peace Square that sits in the city center. In the actual heart of this plaza, you will find a column that was erected in the year 1713, to remember the victims of the plague epidemics that ravaged the city. Needless to say, this spectacular scenery and fascinating history provided the perfect backdrop and setting for this year's championships, where eleven separate hard-fought battles took place to determine who the best eleven powerlifters in the world were going to be. And, with each encounter leaving an historical and indelible mark, in the annals of powerlifting folklore. Now to the competition highlights: The exciting events in the 52kg/114lb class set the tone for the rest of the meet. Normally favored Andrzej Stanasyek of Poland came into the meet, with a nomination total of 622.5kg(1317lbs), along with an unbelievable 300kg (661lb) squat. Nevertheless, by the time this class was over, Andrzej was soundly defeated for the second straight year in a row. Clearly, Andrzej first two missed squats at 280kg(617lbs); prior to making a pressure packed third attempt, definitely cost him the title. These two critical mistakes by Stanasyek provided the necessary opening for Russian lifter Ravil Kazakov, who used a well-balanced lifting attack of 242.5(534lbs) in the squat, 152.5kg(336lbs) in the bench press, and 195kg(429lbs) in the deadlift for a total of 590kg(1300lbs), to persuasively win the title. More impressively, his total was a new junior world record. Interestingly enough, Ravil is still a junior level lifter, and at only 22 years old, looks to be the new emerging champion of this class. Ravil was also this year's World Junior Champion. There is definitely more to come with this young man! So, powerlifting fans look for this young man to win many more titles in the years to come. Last years World Champion Chun-Hsiung Hu, from Chinese Taipei, made this class even more exciting to watch, especially after loading a tremendous 257.5 (567lbs) IPF World record deadlift on the last attempt of the meet. Instead of going for the silver medal, Hu laying in third at the time, bypassed Stanasyek and placed the necessary weight on the bar, and went directly for the win. This lift came within inches of lockout, before exploding out of his hands. In fourth place, last years silver medallist in this class, Ervin Gainer continues to improve with each trip that he makes to the World Championships, and placed a solid and respectable fourth. This was Ervin's 5th consecutive trip to the IPF World Championships, and recorded new personal bests in both the squat & total. Ervin made a 197.5kg squat (435 lbs), 130 kg (286 lbs) bench press, and 230kg(507lbs) in the deadlift, which created a new American total record of 557.5kg(1229 lbs). Ervin's 230 kg deadlift earned him a silver medal for the class. Interestingly enough, and as reported by his coach, Greg Simmons, Ervin's 1229lbs total now makes him now the #2 lifter on the all-time best totals in the history of United States Powerlifting, regardless of federation. Gainer also has the #2 best deadlift of all time, regardless of federation, rules, drug testing, etc. Greg Job Ervin! Rounding out the class was Japan's Shin Watanabe, who garnered a bronze medal in the bench press with a solid 135kg. In the 56kg/123lb class, Konstantine Pavlov of Russia notched his seventh men's open world powerlifting championship in 8 years, by convincingly defeating Shih-Wu Lu of Chinese Taipei by 32.5kg. Pavlov's performance was his best to date, and went a solid 8 for 8, passing only on his third squat. More importantly, Konstantine's total of 652.5kg(1438lbs), is also another new men's open world record, breaking his own record of 645kg(1421lbs), which he set at last year's World Championships in Sotkamo, Finland. Pavlov is relatively young, and there is little doubt that he will go on to win many more titles. At the contest, there was talk that he would like to come to America to lift in this spring. I discussed this option with Larry Maile, and proposed that he come and lift as a "guest lifter", to the 2003 IPF North American Cup that I will be directing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 01, 2003. We shall keep you advised on this development. In second position, Shih-Wu Lu lifted extremely well, and moved up 2 placed from last year, by going 8 for 9, and capping his day off with a super 260kg(573lbs) pull on his final deadlift. Lu's teammate Hsieh, a former junior world champion, was a solid third, and is only twenty years old, and pulled a beautiful 255kg(562lbs) on his third attempt. Needless to say, the Chinese Taipei lifters are built for deadlifting. Tall and lean, with gangly long arms, their ultra sumo wide pulls from the floor, in some cases, are only elevated maybe only 15-20cm from the floor. To round this class out, Ukrainian masters champion, Sergey Vatyuk rewrote the record book, and set all new European masters records in this class, and placed a respectable fourth. No doubt, he will be tough to deal with at the Masters World Championships that will take place in Saskatchewan, Canada during October 2003. Placing seventh, my former Austrian training partner Jorgen Nemeth had a super tough day by only making 3 lifts. He is veteran of multiple world powerlifting championships, and will be back next year for another go. Soft spoken, USA lifter and Boston, Massachusetts school teacher, Allen Whigham placed a respectable 8th in his first men's world open championships. In the words of coach Nolan Crabbe, Allen "smoked" all three of his squats with super depth and technique, with plenty to spare. He followed with two strong bench presses, but only made his opening deadlift. Allen's second and third deadlifts of 225kg(496lbs) were easily pulled to completion; however, Allen was a little off balance and fell backwards on both attempts. A little work on his set-up, will no-doubt have Allen pulling into the mid five's by next year. Look for "big" things from this man in the future. In the 60kg/132lb class, last years bronze medallist, Mikhail Andruchin improved his total by 42.5kg from last years performance, to take this class convincingly from two-time world champion Garry McNamara of Ireland. Andruchin only missed one attempt all day, a super huge 3rd attempt squat of 282.5kg(622lbs), which he barely missed. Mikhail is now in range of Sutrisno's world record total of 710kg(1576lbs), and pulled all three deadlift attempts strongly, with room to spare. His total was a new European record, and look for him to break the world record total next year. What an epic battle that would be -- to see both Sutrisno and Andruchin lift against one another for the world championship title next year. Look for this to possibly materialize next year in Denmark. In third place, newcomer, Viltaliy Teteutsa of the Ukraine totaled a balanced 625kg(1377lbs). His 160kg(358lbs) bench press was tops in the class, and secured his bronze medal position, especially after encountering problems in deadlift, where he almost did not make an attempt. Olech of Poland was fourth with Bachtevanova of Bulgaria, who was coached by Evgueniy Popov, in fifth place. Both lifters were only one or two lifts away from medal contention. Chiu from Chinese Taipei had a tough day, only making four lifts. US Champion and United States Air Force Sergeant, Tim Taylor had one of the most disappointing performances of his career. Going into the contest, Tim was nominated fourth and was well prepared to medal, but alas from his first warm-up in the squat, to his last deadlift on the platform, Tim did not feel comfortable at all. From my observation, he was stale, and way over-trained for the meet. Some adjustments may be in order with his current training routine. Nevertheless, Tim will regroup, and pull it together for this year's USAPL National Championships in South Dakota, where he will go for his 13th consecutive men's US National Championship title. The big surprise of the class was former world champion, Hiro Isagawa who bombed on three consecutive bench press attempts of 185kg, which is 20kg under his current world record. To me the last attempt looked like a solid and well-done attempt. However, the referees viewed it the other way, and turned down the lift, with three reds lights. Hiro had a great deal of difficulty getting set on his first two attempts. As everyone knows by now, the Japanese have developed this new bench press technique, which incorporates a super arch in the lower back, as well as super wide grip, which is maxed out to the 81cm ring on the bar. This shortens the actual stroke of the bar, and allows the Japanese to take advantage of their relatively short upper arms. However, assuming and maintaining this gymnastic-like position is most difficult. After trying it once, I found the position most difficult to maintain, before the erectors in your back begin to tighten up, with a great deal of pain setting in. I now see why it is easier for the ladies than the guys. More importantly, if one is not locked into this position securely, a lifter will fall off balance. There has been some talk that the actual stroke of some lifters utilizing this particular technique may, in fact, not even be a bench "press" at all, but instead a bench "shrug". In speaking with the technical committee chairman regarding this issue, they're still considering how to revise this rule, so as to have the lifter press the weight, instead of shrugging the weight to lockout. Nevertheless, look for Hiro to redeem himself in Luxembourg, at the IPF World Bench Press Championships. Clearly, he will be a distinct factor in the outcome of the medal race. The 67.5kg/148lb class belonged to one man only, and that was Jaroslaw Olech of the Poland. This three-time silver, and two-time bronze medallist at the world championships finally reached the top step of the podium, after seven consecutive tries, with a simply electrifying performance. Olech punched out eight beautiful attempts, missing only a third bench press of 170kg on technicality, and totaling a marvelous 805kg(1774lbs). His squats were super deep, and motored up brilliantly with two world records of 325kg(717lbs), on his second attempt, and a super easy 330kg(728lbs) on his final 3rd attempt. Amusingly enough, Jaroslaw's world record squat of 330kg, exceeds the current record in the 75kg class as well. Believe it or not, this currently places him 25kg(55lbs) behind Sivokon's world record total of 830kg(1829lbs), and based upon Olech's three final attempts in the deadlift, will prediction is that he exceed that within the coming year. In second position, Roberto Sacco of Italy lifted well, but missed two key third attempts of 290kg(639lbs) in the squat, and the 302.5kg(666lbs) in the deadlift. Nevertheless, Sacco's total of 725kg(1598lbs), secured the silver medal for him over the flying Finn, and former junior world champion Sami Nieminen, who nipped Lung-Hsing Huang of Chinese Taipei, with a clutch 2nd attempt deadlift of 295kg(650lbs) for the bronze medal. Masaharu Koiwai of Japan lifted consistently, by going 7/9 and placed a respectable fifth in this class. This performance nudged out Great Britain's Phillip Richard by 5kg. Phillip, a former junior world champion, has been around for some time, and it is always great to see him at the competitions The 75kg/165lb class was a star-studded line-up to behold. The starting nominations in this class included an impressive line-up of three former world Men's open champions that included Wade Hooper of the United States, Alexi Sivokon of Kazakhstan, and Viktor Furashkine of Russia. Many time medallist Viktor Baranov and newcomer Oleksander Kutcher were going to make this class interesting. In any event, the battle between Furashkine, and Sivokon, did not take place, due to Sivokon withdrawing, and not making the trip. It is my understanding that he developed a back injury during training. Interesting to note, the entire Kazak delegation did not arrive, and all their lifters were withdrawn from the competition. Nevertheless, Furashkine knocked out eight successful attempts, which included a world record 3rd attempt squat of 328.5kg(724lbs), breaking the USA's Ausby Alexander's 13-year-old record. This was performance was followed by a 215kg (473lb) bench press, and huge 320kg (705lb) deadlift, for a spectacular 862.5kg(1901lb) total. I would venture to say, despite Sivokon's past achievements and accomplishments; he would have had tremendous difficulty beating Furashkine on this day. Furashkine's total was both a new world and European record. Congratulations to Viktor! The Silver medallist, Oleksander Kutcher of the Ukraine, went to work and rattled off nine perfect attempts, to edge Wade Hooper by 30kg(66lbs). His 815kg (1796lb) total is not nearly what he is currently capable of, and lifted conservatively on this day. There was much more in the tank, and look for him to be right in the thick of things next year. Wade Hooper lifted extremely well too, despite cutting his opening squat, which caused him to repeat his opener. Wade's total of 785kg(1730lbs) is PR in this class. This total was anchored by a smooth 315kg(699lb) in the squat, a good-looking PR of 207.5kg (457lb) in the bench press, and a solid 260kg(573lb) in the deadlift. His old nemesis, the grip, popped up once again, despite much success in training, to cause the final two missed attempts with 270kg(595lbs) in the deadlift. Once this factor is resolved, Wade will again challenge for this title. In nay event, congratulations to Wade - Super job! Baranov of Russia was not a factor, after sustaining a back injury on his second squat, which forced him to withdraw from the competition. Spychala of Poland and Zeilinger of Austria battled for the fourth and fifth place respectfully, with some equally impressive lifts. The 82.5kg/181lb class was extremely tight and competitive, with the top four to five lifters each having an equal chance of winning the title. Sergey Mor was not present, so this left the door open for a new champion to emerge in this class. The final tally concluded with Dmytro Soloviov of the Ukraine (last years fourth place finisher), and Jan Wegeria of Poland who tied in the total with Soloviov winning on bodyweight. Soloviov had to pull the winning deadlift of 300kg(661lbs), on his final attempt to outlast Wegeria. Both lifters were equal in strength, however; based on the virtue of Soloviov having the higher lot number, he was able take his attempt after Wegeria, and select the necessary weight to win the class -- Luck of the draw so to speak. In third position, University of Pennsylvania Strength Coach, Rob Wagner was ready to go this year. All pistons were firing for him, after posting an 830kg total earlier this year at the USAPL Pennsylvania Championships. Rob went 8/9 and only missed his last deadlift. Robert made all three of his squats, with his final attempt being a huge 337.5kg(744lbs) for the gold medal lift of this class. Momentum was carried over into the bench press with three more successful lifts, ending with a crisp 195kgs(429lbs). Rob, with a double over hook-grip, pulled two successful deadlifts of 277.5(611lbs) and 290kg(639lbs) before missing his final attempt at 295kg(650lbs), and ending with a total of 822.5kg(1814lbs) - 10 times bodyweight! Nonetheless, once Rob missed his last deadlift, the excitement continued, whereby the final standings of the top three place finishers came down to the final lift of the class, by veteran powerlifter Hannu Malinen of Finland, who strategically timed out his second attempt of 332.5kg(733lbs), and loaded the bar to 345kg(760lbs) to match Rob's total, to beat him on bodyweight for the bronze medal. Hannu's opener of 320kg (705lbs) was a toy, so the 345kg was a distinct possibility. Needless to say, the powerful deadlifter that he is, Hannu pulled this impressive weight to within inches of lockout, but it was unsuccessful. Hats off to him, it was a great try! Rob Wagner wins the Bronze medal -- congratulations! As his coach, I was most proud to see him finally standing on the awards podium. I can think of no one more deserving of this accomplishment, especially after the many significant contributions he has made to the sport. Readers of Powerlines, when you have the opportunity, review the current article of Rob, in the latest addition of Monster Muscle magazine. I am sure that you will find it quite interesting to say the least. Rounding out the top finishers, Michael Wilk of Poland miscalculated his second deadlift selection, and could have easily placed fourth, instead of fifth. Peter Rick of Hungary, tried an impressive 327,5kg(722lbs) on his second and third attempt in the deadlift, but neither could be locked out to completion. This is especially impressive considering the fact that he is still a junior level lifter. Watch for these two lifters in the future. The 90kg/198lb class had quite a few surprises. Andrey Tarasenko was not present this year. This absence left the door wide open for three-time men's open world championship silver medallist Ivan Freydun, to take the 90kg title convincingly this time around. Ivan broke both the junior world record in the squat, with 350kg(771lbs) and in the total with 930kgs(2050lbs). Ivan's final total exceeds Tarasenko's final results of 927.5kg at last year's world championship. I am sure Ivan is sending a message to Tarasenko that he now has some competition, when he returns to the platform for next year's world championship. Remarkably enough, Freydun is still a junior and the match between these two at next year's world championships will be quite interesting to watch and witness. Nikolay Marozav of Belorussia made a key and important 3rd attempt on bench press with 230kg(507lbs), which allowed him the necessary maneuvering room to deadlift his way to the silver medal. Last year's silver medallist in this class, and former junior world champion Demetry Fedenko delivered with a clutch third attempt deadlift of 335kg(738lbs) to tie world masters champion, Peter Theuser of the Czech Republic, which dropped him to fourth place. Hanibal Coimbra of Luxembourg had a terrific day, by going 9/9 and seized fifth place. Hanibal lifted conservatively and left some kg on the platform. Look for this young man to improve next year. USA lifters Ray Benemerito, and Mike Mastrean lined up against some of the toughest men on the planet with Ray taking a respectable 6th place. After missing his opening squat, Ray came back strongly on his final two attempts, and buried them both and making them easily with room to spare. Ray's final attempt in the deadlift with 327.5kg(722lbs) would have propelled him to the fifth place position, but lost his grip at the top. Ray is one cool customer under pressure, and does not flinch, when it is time to perform. Look for him to be in thick of this class next year. Mike Mastrean on the other hand started very well, by powering up a 335(738lb) squat, but missed all three of his bench presses with 215kg(473lbs). Mike has been rather ill since his return from Slovakia, and was also under the weather during the entire trip. After arriving home, and visiting the doctor, it was determined that the journey over to Europe induced a medical condition Mike was not aware of that effected his performance. As of now, the condition has been diagnosed, and is currently being treated. Needless to say, Mike is one of the finest young lifters in America. He is one tough customer, and will be back next year stronger than ever. Moreover, Mike plans to lift in Philadelphia on March 01, 2003 at the IPF North American Cup, where he plans to unleash a monster total. Look for both Ray and Mike at the 2003 Senior Nationals in South Dakota, where they will resume their epic battle from last year. The100kg/220lb class proved to be as exciting as the rest. The Ukrainian Federation unveiled one of their latest new prodigies and lifting machines this year; with the likes of 1999 junior world champion Alexey Rokochy. Needless to say, Alexey stunned the crowd with a very impressive 385kg (848lb) world junior record squat on his second attempt, and nearly made and incredible 392.5kg(865lbs) on a third attempt. Afterwards, he never looked back, and took this class with precision and control. What is even more impressive is that within a year or two, he may be knocking on the door of Ed Coan's squat record of 423kgs in this class. Who knows, maybe next year in Denmark? We'll have to watch, wait and see. Nevertheless, Alexi's total of 972.5kg was also a junior world record, with plenty more room to spare. Russian lifter Yury Federenko lifted brilliantly by missing only his opening squat, and last deadlift, which secured the silver medal over last year's men's open world champion, and junior world record holder Olek Vyshnytzskyy. Yury lifted splendidly well, and his last deadlift of 375kg(826lbs) would have tied and beaten Rokochy on bodyweight. The lift was up, and moving towards lockout, before lit stalled causing Yury to lose his grip. Olek lifted superbly as well, and attempted a junior world record deadlift of 382.5kg (843lbs) on both his second and third attempts. Each of these attempts, coming within inches of lockout. This attempt too, would have moved him from 3rd to 1st place. Powerlfiting fans, it does not get any closer than this sessions performance, with all three lifters having the opportunity to win, and with the lifting going down to the last deadlift. Surprisingly enough, if Olek would have made his last deadlift attempt, he would only have been 7.5kg(15lbs) away from the legendary Ed Coan's IPF open world record of 390kg (859lbs). Next year, will we see this record broken? And, folks he is only a junior level lifter -- WOW! To round the place finishers out, Bulgarian lifter Christov Ivailo made enough attempts to slide into fourth over France's Andre Peeter's. Important to point out is that alternate US lifter, and current national champion Anthony Succarotte made the trip over to Slovakia to support the rest of the team. Tony was extremely supportive and helpful to the coaching staff and his team members during the trip. Currently, he is preparing for the 2002 IPF World Bench Press championships that will take place in Luxembourg on December 08, 2002. Needless to say, Tony is looking forward to this year's national championship in South Dakota, where he will attempt to retain his national title, and make the 2003 USA national team. Tony - thank you, and the very best of luck! The 110kg/242lb class proved to be not only the largest of the contest with 28 lifters, but one of the most exciting classes of the meet, which added to the drama of events during the weekend. Valentin Dedulia of Russia took the lead from the outset of the session, with a monstrous 395kg(872lbs) squat that paved the way to the spectacular 990kg total (2182lbs). If it were not for his missed second attempt in the squat, which he repeated and made on his third attempt, he would have probably broken the IPF world record in the total of 1002.5kg(2210), which was set by fellow Russian lifter Alexey Gankov, during November 1998 in Cherkasy, Ukraine. Nevertheless, he won the gold medal convincingly, and given the fact that he is only 25 years old, there is definitely more to come our way. If he decides to lift at the 2003 European Championships this year in Sofia, Bulgaria the world record total will most probably fall there. Silver medallist, and junior world and men's open champion, Nikolay Suslov had a tremendous performance as well, and made enough attempts to the secure the silver medal over Derek Pomona of New Zealand, who took the bronze. Derek had a tremendous battle with Jorgen Ljungberg of Sweden, who both traded lifts all the way down to the final deadlift, where Derek had to pull a pressure packed 355kg(782lbs) on his final pull to secure the bronze. Congratulations to Derek on both his achievement and his recovery from the double quad tear, which he suffered at the 1998 world championships. Great to have you back! Also, to Jorgen too, who had a super day. Not to far behind the medallists, were Viktor Karpik of the Ukraine, and Carl Christoffersen of Norway, both outstanding lifters in their own right. They both were one or two attempts away from medalling in this class. Interestingly enough, the real drama unfolded when the platform for this session became increasingly unstable for the lifters to squat on, which caused a bit of commotion for all involved. Two attempts were given back to the lifters, due to this particular scenario. Needless to say, this really brought the crowd to life for this particular session. It was later determined that the actual problem stemmed from the utilization of a spongy Olympic lifting platform, which may not have been set appropriately prior to the contest. Nonetheless, once the session was complete, it was repaired for the lifting the following day. On a special note, USA lifter Tony Harris was not able to attend due to his military commitment, but shall return next year, primed and ready to do battle in this class. He would have definitely been in contention for a medal this year, and we look forward to his return. Despite this setback, Nalei Harris, Tony's wife, made the trip all the way from Hawaii to support the team and visit with friends. We thank her for coming all that way to cheer and support the USA Team - Thank you! The 125kg/275lb class was equally as impressive as the others. The Russian lifting machine continued its dominance by taking this class as well. Andrey Malanichev battled Istvan Arvai of Hungary all the way down to the last deadlift for the gold medal. Istavan had the winning deadlift of 370kg(8154lbs) in his hands, but could not lock it out. Andrey squatted an impressive 400kg (881lbs), to Istavan's 390kg (872lbs) that paved the way to victory. Istavan was able to close the gap in the bench press by 5kg, with a tough fought effort of 255kg(562lbs), but was not able to match Andrey on the deadlift. Volodym Muravlyov of the Ukraine was in the hunt as well, and finished with an equally impressive 990kg(2182lb) total. Audunn Johnson from Iceland was right behind Muravlyov for the bronze, but did not have enough on the deadlift to overcome the deficient. USA lifter Tony Cardella had the finest meet of his life and secured a solid fifth place finish with a PR total of 950kg(2094lbs). Tony did this via a fantastic 365kg(804lb) squat, 245kg (540lb) bench press and 340kg(749lb) deadlift. Tony went 8/9 with PR's across the board. Super job by Larry Maile in calling his numbers! In sixth position, European powerlifting champion Henry Clive of Great Britain was most impressive and smoked a 415kg(914lb) squat, and looked good for at least 15kg more. At the moment, if there is any man in this particular weight class that is capable of breaking "Captain" Kirk Karwoski's squat record of 455kg(1003lbs), it is Henry! Placing seventh was relative newcomer Greg Wagner, of the USA, who remarkably placed 3rd at the USAPL National Championships, but by virtue of the USAPL selection criteria, was activated to lift only a few weeks prior to the meet, when Tony Harris was called to a special military service assignment. Needless to say, despite the short notice, Greg stepped to the plate and performed magnificently considering the circumstances. It must be pointed out that Pat Anderson did a fine job in selecting his attempts as well. Greg went 8/9, and hit a super 372.5kg(821lbs), 247.5kg(545lb) bench press, and a 310kg(683lb) deadlift for a 930kg(2050lb) total. Look for both lifters at this year national championships, as they renew their friendly rivalry. Both will be contending for medals next year, with Tony probably totaling near 1000kg. Congratulations to both lifters -- job well done! The 125+kg/SHW class was simply spectacular, and bordered on powerlifting nirvana - if there is such a thing. No other way to describe it. The class line-up was the most impressive of any nominated or ever competing before in the 35 years of "thee" World championships -- bar none. Eight lifters nominated with over a 1000kg total, with multiple lifters having either won a junior, senior world, or European championship title. Defending two-time Gold medallist "Big" Brad Gillingham of the United States, was coming into the meet this year, off a badly torn bicep he sustained at the Arnold Classic this past February. Given what happen, it is a miraculous achievement, considering the bicep was 90% ruptured at the insertion point of the muscle. Nevertheless, Brad had his hands full with junior sensation and phenom star Vitaly Papazov of the Ukraine, as well as the "sleeper" in the class --Vladimir Bondarenko, who came into the championship with a nomination total of 8th, but won the championships on his last deadlift with 385kg(848lbs), edging Papazov by a scant 2.5kg. Brad lifted magnificently, and pulled his way to the bronze medal with a fantastic 387.5kg(854lb) on his final deadlift of the meet. Brad's total in this class, is the second best American total at the IPF world Championships, with the exception of Jon Kuc's 1062.5kg (2342lbs) way back in 1972. Other significant lifts in this category included Japan's Daisuke Midote's bench press of 305kg(672lbs) and Hungary's Tibor Meszaros world record deadlift of the meet with 407.5kg (898lbs), which was done without a belt. WOW! US National Champion Brian Siders of West Virginia lifted very well considering the company he was in. Brian is an unbelievably strong young man, with a little more polish, can go on to be one of the best ever in this class - In the words of Brad Gillingham, "…he is the future of the American SHW class." Brian impressively squatted 365kg(804lbs), bench-pressed 275kg(606lbs) and deadlifted 345kg(760lbs) for a total of 985kg(2171lbs). Needless to say, this was Brian's 5th meet of the year, and clearly showed that he was a little tired, and in need of some time off and rest. Once home, his coach John Messenger will have him ready for next years national championship. As Brian's coach at the meet, I would like to acknowledge both Brian's sportsmanship and spirit of teamwork, in allowing me to take his third attempt deadlift and place it between Bondarenko and Brad's third attempt. This allowed Patrick Anderson, Brad's coach at the meet, more time to select the correct third attempt, and give more time to Brad, by letting the clock expire with the full minute elapsing, and have to change the weight. Worked like a charm! Thanks Brian! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Brad Gillingham, what can I say? After only nine months after having major surgery he lifted right with the best in the world. Here is a man that is six feet five and squats with the best of them. Brad looked like he had twenty more pounds in him. A 2303 lb. total is a phenomenal accomplishment. Throughout history of American super heavy weight lifters his numbers and consistency makes him the greatest we have ever had. He competes with a great confidence and great amount of class. I am proud to call him my friend. There is no doubt the IPF is the big show and we all should be proud we are a part of it..." - Steve Johnson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of all the classes in the contest, this class proved to be the most intense, and exciting to watch. With not a seat left in the house, and with standing room only, each lift and lifter was applauded by the fullest of each person in the auditorium. What a way to end the competition. Simply tremendous - I am glad that I was able to be a part of it. Once the final numbers were calculated, the Champion of Champions were the following: Overall champion of champions was Jaroslaw Olech of Poland with a Wilks score of 625.16, second was Viktor Furashkine of Russia with a score of 615.73, and in third position, Ivan Freydun of the Ukraine with a score of 595.75. Congratulations to these three fine lifters for their respective accomplishments. The top five teams were: Russia with a perfect score of 72 points (6 gold medals) in first place, the Ukraine with 62 points in second, Poland in third with 50 points, and United States in fourth with 42 points, and rounding out the top five, Chinese Taipei with 37 points. Prior to closing, a trip like this cannot take place, without the support and commitment of all the people behind the scenes. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team sponsors for the contributions they made to this years team. They are as follows: John Inzer and Peter Thorne of Inzer Advance Designs, and Pete Alinez of Titan Support Systems for the their donations of equipment to the lifters. Moreover, I would like to take this opportunity to especially thank Peter Thorne for his generous contributions to some of the athletes and coaches towards their respective trips. To Kim Newman of Move-it-Fitness, for donating USA Powerlifting golf shirts to the entire team and staff, and finally to Sherman Ledford of Quest Nutrition, for the donation of his nutritional products. Mind you, each played and important and distinct role in the support of the USA Team. Speaking of which, on behalf of the entire US delegation, I would like to also recognize the tremendous generosity and hospitality, shown to the USA delegation, by the meet director, Mr. Michael Capla, and his wonderful staff of assistants. They did a simply marvelous job in coordinating the events for this championship. Very well done! Special thanks go out to Dr. Bernie Miller, Chairman of the IPF medical Committee, for taking care the teams aches and pains. Dr. Miller travels to most of all the USA national meets, and most of the world championships, and goes out of his way to assist everyone. To Dan Wagman and Sioux-z were in attendance for Pure Power Magazine of their coverage of the event. When you have the opportunity, check out Dan's recent issue regarding the squat, which is unquestionably one of the best researched, and well-written articles on the squat, I have ever seen in a research journal, or for that matter anywhere. Hopefully, he will follow-up with articles in the bench press and deadlift in the future. Dan and Sioux-z Hartwig took off for Warsaw, directly after the meet was over, to cover the IWF Men's World Weightlifting Championships. Imagine this, having both competitions held in one venue over the course of two weeks. What enjoyment would that be or what? Maybe one day soon. To close, special thanks to USAPL Executive Committee Member, Bettina Altizer for coming over to both referee and represent us at this year IPF congress of nations. Bettina and Larry were very instrumental in many significant changes that are going to be taking place with drug testing. Also, sincere thanks go out to the coaching staff for their super hard work this year: Head Coach Larry Maile, and Assistant Coaches Patrick Anderson, Nolan Crabbe, James Benemerito, Jerry Daley, and Sherman Ledford. Special thanks should go out to Nate Nord, Anthony Joseph, Roy Carlton, Nectar Kirkiris, Tim Hayner, Wade Gillingham, Gale Gillingham, and Steve Johnson for your support with assisting the lifters in the warm-up area. Super job by all! As they say, coaching is harder than lifting sometimes. Special thanks are in order to both Barb and Angie in the USAPL national office, for their fine and outstanding assistance with processing the necessary sponsorship packages, paperwork or the athletes in a timely, efficient and professional manner! Great job ladies! Finally, on a personal note, on behalf of the USAPL, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and especially thank all of the athletes that were instrumental in the success of this year's team. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication and sportsmanship. To you all - Strength and Honor, I am sure that Markus Aurelius would have been proud! ~Have a splendid holiday season; and we'll see you in South Dakota in July! ~ Robert Keller Assistant Coach and Team Manager USA Men's National Powerlifting Team 2002 IPF World Championships Trencin, Slovakia |
         Photos thanks to Lewis Noppers and the IPF Site. |