Herculean effort by KZN powerlifting team
Four members of the KZN powerlifting team have been chosen to represent SA at the world powerlifting champs.
PERSONAL bests, national selections and heavy lifting were the order of the day for the KZN team at the IPF Raw Powerlifting National Champs recently. Several of the team also smashed a number of records in their respective weight categories.
The KZN team made up of seven members all put in a massive effort on the day and four of the squad have now been selected for the South African Raw Powerlifting team for the World Champs later this year in Potchefstroom from 1 June to 8 June.
The KZN lifters choosen to be part of the SA Raw Powerlifting team are: Dean van Wyk, Tracy Ludwig, Grant van der Haer and Minal Raniga.
Grant van der Haer who ended in second place in the 93kg category said it was a bittersweet competition. “All the team achieved their personal bests, as did I, but I ended up second in a tightly contested division. I’m extremely proud to be chosen to be part of the national side.
“Before the competition we started a 10-week intensive training programme to get ready and it certainly helped at the champs,” he said.
The SA Raw Powerlifting Champs, only in its third year, is a test of brute strength with no supportive equipment available for the lifters. It’s a sport where numbers matter, and the highest combined total of the squat, bench press and deadlift counts towards the overall score.
Another competitor making his way back into competitive circles after eight years in the wilderness is Dean van Wyk. Not only did he win gold in the senior 83kg men, but he also broke the overall combined total record (which stood at 622kg and is now 635kg) and the deadlift record (287.5kg).
“I was aware of the records before the comp and my goal was to surpass them. It’s extremely satisfying to push past your limits,” he said.
Tracy Ludwig, a local strongwoman, had the biggest reason to smile on the day breaking an incredible seven records.
She was entered into two divisions, the masters and seniors in the (84 +kg) and broke the squat record, the deadlift record and combined total record in both divisions If that wasn’t enough she also broke the bench press record in the masters division.
“As a competitor you can only focus on yourself and do the best you can do. That’s what I did and it’s a proud moment to represent South Africa. It’s a competition we are really looking forward to, it’s on home soil and we are going to try and make that count in our favour,” she said.
l The IPF stands for International Powerlifting Federation and promotes a drug free approach to lifting. If you are interested in powerlifting contact Grant on trevwest@telkomsa.net.
