Morningside resident Gary Katzen (64) continues to compete, train, and set new goals in strength sports to encourage older people to remain active.

Katzen won two African titles at the inaugural Africa Strict Arm Curl and Freestanding Curl Championships at the ONOMO Hotel in Durban on September 25.

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His achievements span several decades and include three Strict Arm Curl world championship titles, a Commonwealth championship in powerlifting and bench press, and three Arnold Classic Africa Strict Arm Curl titles. He has also accumulated 45 national titles across four sporting disciplines.

For Katzen, however, continuing to compete is about more than adding trophies to his collection. He hopes his journey will encourage others, particularly older men and women, to recognise that sporting ambitions can continue later in life.

“I want people, particularly older men and women, to realise that age does not necessarily mean you have to stop setting sporting goals.

Training intelligently, remaining disciplined and continuing to challenge yourself can give you something positive to work towards,” said Katzen.

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His participation in strength sport also comes at a time when the newly established African championships are creating opportunities for athletes to compete in specialised disciplines.

The inaugural competition featured Strict Arm Curl, Freestanding Curl, and related strength events, with the broader objective of growing participation and establishing pathways for athletes to compete at provincial, national, African, and international levels.

Katzen believes South Africa has the strength and talent to develop the sport further, provided athletes are given more opportunities to compete and the disciplines receive greater public awareness.

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