World record for power lifter
He competed in the Classic Powerlifting M2 120kg weight class.
HE may not quite have the strength of Samson, whose Biblical feats of old are stuff of legend, but in terms of modern-day powerlifting, Gerhardus Oosthuizen (51) of Trafalgar is certainly making a name for himself.
While Samson was known to rip city gates from their foundation and other such mighty acts, Gerhardus broke the world record for the bench-press in his weight division.
Competing in the world championships in Finland last week, he took Team SA’s medal total to five by claiming the bench-press gold medal.
His opening bench-press of 191kg gave him the world record, which he then increased to 198kg, in the M2 120kg division.
Gerhardus bettered all of the M2 120kg SA records, and claimed two Commonwealth records as well.
“I asked God to help me to do well in my new sport. He blessed me with the fitness and strength to compete and to break new records and to win a gold medal. I would not have been able to do this without the help of God,” said Gerhardus.
He also thanked CIB Insurance Administrators for the sponsorship and support, as well as his family and friends for their support, love and messages during his trip.
He singled out Malone Horn, who had helped him believe in his ability in the sport.
Back home, Gerhardus’s wife Melanie, was over the moon.
“He has done very, very well and we are all very impressed, I knew he would win something but gold was a surprise,” she said.
Watching on TV at home, Melanie recaptured the excitement of the record.
“The red lights started flickering and everyone started shouting. It was so quick. But within seconds it seemed like the whole world was phoning me,” she said.
Gerhardus later phoned her to share the joy of the win, thinking maybe she had missed the moment. “Did you see it?” he asked.
She sure did. And was immensely proud.
“Gerhardus has such a passion for the sport. He loves training. Even if he had gone to Finland and not won anything he would still have enjoyed it. Winning gold was simply the cherry on the top,” she said.
Gerhardus flew back yesterday (Wednesday). The day after he had won, he said he was looking forward to nothing more than simply getting back home!
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