Warren Brits made it three in a row when he won the World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) Masters 50 to 54 U100kg classic raw title at the WPC world championships, held in Durban from November 4 to 9.

The now three-time world champ also broke his deadlift record when lifted 305kg, an improvement of 2kg from the 303kg he lifted at last year’s world championships in Chicago, USA.

The powerlifter, who weighed 95.3kg, opened his title defence on November 6 with a failed 195kg squat attempt. He then nailed it in his second attempt, before lifting 225kg in his third lift.

He then did single round in the bench press, lifting 120kg, declining further attempts due to an ongoing shoulder injury.

In the deadlift, Brits started with a successful 280kg lift. He then broke his own 303kg record, when he recorded 305kg to set a new world record. His third attempt of 315 was unsuccessful but Brits is convinced it is around the corner.

This title adds to the ones he won in Manchester two years ago and Chicago last year.

He also competed in the single raw deadlift on November 9 where he weighed 97.8kg. He started with a 270kg lift before going up to 301 kg, beating the world record by 0.5kg. He further successfully increased it to 305kg on his third attempt.

He now has two separate deadlift world records.

Brits, together with Reo Coetzee and Samuel Zeelie, raised the community’s flag high, coming back to Benoni with two golds and a silver.

Coetzee grabbed his gold in the masters 50 to 54 U125kg for his first world title.

In the squat, he started with 180kg before going up to 190kg. He closed with a successful 200kg. His only successful lift in the bench press was 135kg in the second round after failed attempts of 135kg and 137.5kg in the first and third rounds.

He then deadlifted 220kg and then went up to 240kg, before concluding with an unsuccessful 245kg but was still able to capture his first title in the competition.

In his first world champs, Zeelie finished second in his age-group and weight class for a silver medal.

He began the competition with 150kg in the squat lifting a massive 305kg. He concluded with 315kg in the last round.

On the bench, he pressed 185kg but failed to lift 195kg in his second attempt. He finished off with 200kg.

The deadlift went smoothly with rounds of 250kg, 265kg and 275kg to grab a silver in his maiden worlds.

Also Read: Powerlifter breaks record in Benoni

Also Read: Brits retains title at powerlifting world championship