Tlokwe Secondary School’s hall roof resonates from the thunderous applause as Mpho Hlanyane and his coach, Faku Madikane, receive their awards.

Mpho smiles proudly after achieving a brilliant second place in the under 66-kilogramme sub-junior category at the IBF World Classic Benchpress Championships at the Elgro Hotel from 16-21 May this year.

“This was my first international event as we don’t get a lot of opportunities to compete overseas; it is too expensive for us,” said Mpho.

His coach added that Mpho could have benched a lot more than the 90-kilogramme he pulled off to take second place.

“In training, Mpho has easily benched 100-kilogrammes but, in a competition, the nerves and anxiety can get to you. I am still proud that he took second place,” said Faku.

“I must add that my coach gave me a lot of motivation to pull through, especially on my last attempt,” said a satisfied Mpho upon reflection of his achievement.

Faku normally trains Mpho for five days a week, three of which entail strength training while the other two focus on cardio and general fitness.

“The best aspect of powerlifting is that it challenges me and keeps me away from bad things. My mind is occupied,” said Mpho.  Faku, the owner of the local House of Pain Gym, believes this achievement will inspire younger boys to also achieve great things in the sport.  “The interest is definitely there. We just need the financial backing from the government,” he added.