Records fall at UK IPC Bench Press Championships as athletes chase Worlds selections
Five British records were broken at the UK IPC Bench Press Championships as the IPC Powerlifting squad continued to show remarkable progress all round.
The event in Folkestone last weekend saw UK Sport-funded lifters including Leeds-based Paralympian Ali Jawad set a new personal best, break the British Record and set an unofficial world record of 190kg in the 59kg bodyweight category.Lincoln-based Scot Micky Yule also set a new British record in the 65kg class of 173kg - just reward for his phenomenal weight loss to get into the lower category which means he has qualified for the World Championships in April.
Last in action in the Hungarian Open on 4 January, London’s Paul Efayena displayed a massive improvement of 16kg to take victory in the 107kg class, lifting 196kg which was a personal best by 2kg and a new British record.
Newark’s Natalia Blake also recorded a new British record in the 55kg class when she lifted 101kg, the first time she has been over 100kg for more than four years.
And Suffolk Spartans’ Zoe Newson lifted 91kg in the 41kg category, a British record and proof that she is a World-class athlete.
There were also strong performances from Adam Alderman who has battled back to fitness after a car crash. He was just 1kg off a personal best when he lifted 140kg in the 49kg class.
And development athlete Panagiotis Mamuneas set a new personal best by a massive 5kg when he lifted 120kg in the 54kg class.
Paralympic Performance Manager Tom Whittaker said afterwards:
“All athletes on the world class program have put themselves in a good position and made themselves eligible for selection for the World Championships in Dubai in April. This is a huge positive moving forward into 2014 as continual progress is vital. Athletes moving towards the BWL funding matrix who have been working closely with the program have been waiting patiently for this competition to show progress and have all done so highlighting the effort many have put into their own development. It is also an opportunity to thank the support staff and coaches that have worked tirelessly over the last few months to help deliver these performances.”
And British Weight Lifting Chief Executive Ashley Metcalfe added:
“It’s great to see our athletes at all levels performing so well and showing that the money invested by UK Sport into IPC Powerlifting is being well spent and helping to build a strong base for an exciting future.”
Selections for the World Championships are due to be announced shortly.
British Weight Lifting is the governing body for Olympic weightlifting and Paralympic powerlifting in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They receive funding from UK Sport and as such are responsible for preparing athletes to compete in major international tournaments such as the European and World Championships as well as Olympic and Paralympic Games. They also receive funding from Sport England which is used to get more people involved in the sport at all levels, and work closely with gyms and weightlifting clubs across the country.
At grassroots level, weightlifting was one of few sports to show a large increase in participation, with a 23 per cent increase in the number of people lifting weights from April 2012-April 2013 (Source: Sport England Active People Survey 2013).
