The 2022 Oceania Championships saw the Pacific nation of Nauru ascendant, with the island powerhouse taking out 6 of the 8 open classes to dominate in the Men’s team scoring. Dyke Daoe was Nauru’s best with 677kg @ 77kg, yet was outpointed by Australia’s Matt Middleton’s 781kg in the 105s for Best Men’s lifter overall. Another big standout was Youth phenomena Seth Snijder of New Zealand, 147kg bwgt and 708kg Total at age 17.
In the Women’s Powerlifting the story was different, with Isabella Thomson setting a World Record 191kg Squat @ 72kg and leading the Australian team to a team win over New Zealand. Olivia Zhang was much improved with 382kg to be way ahead in the 58kg class, while at 53kg ageless Femmy Ayegun defied the clock with stunning World age 60-64 records in every lift.
The Bench Press specialists were overshadowed by the 170kg figure of the world’s strongest politician, Nauru Deputy Minister of Sport the Hon Jesse Jeremiah MP with a big 215kg in the 120+s. Rykes Daoe, brother of Dyke, was in a virtual deadheat with David Scadden on points for runner-up.
Oceania Powerlifting is now back and booming and all in the Pacific are heading for 2023’s big events, especially the Worlds in Italy and the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands.
The much delayed 2021 Oceania Championships came to be on February 19-27, spread across Australian, New Zealand and Nauru venues, with 92 lifters producing record-setting results.
Top Women’s lifter was Isabella Thomson, a 488kg at 72kg getting her close to the 600 points mark. Best Men’s lifter was Dyke Daoe of Nauru, 680kg in the 77kg class also edging him towards the new 500.
Other top marks came from promising 21 year old Joshua Genever 648kg at 85kg and Mr Deadlift NZ Chris Bennett,with 300kg at 94kg and a near miss on a WR attempt of 325kg. Look down the BP results for some outstanding age results, 56 year old Ben Jamieson hitting and 190kg and then Alan Sturrock going 200kg in his 65th year.
2022 is here though and the 2022 Oceanias are just around the corner, all set for Melbourne November 28-29. Stand by for details soon.
The 2021 FIBO China Open and Championships was confined to domestic lifters but shone with a new raft of national champions and stars. Shanghai’s enormous Expo & Convention Centre saw Xinhao Li take out Best Lifter with 831kg at 120kg, over Haitao Niu’s 711kg at 85kg. Then in the Women’s lifting Jiaojiao Xu jumped her Total all the way up to 532kg at 100kg, while Lei Gong produced the best single lift of the meet, 142kg Squat at 53kg putting the young Lei in sight of the World Record.
Once again a full house audience, extensive WADA testing and elite Samtek equipment at every station made FIBO China Asia’s quality Powerlifting event. Stand by for news of more big World Powerlifting events in China.
It took five venues and a move into the New Year but the 2020 Oceania Championships went off without a hitch in all of Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Nauru. Eight nations — Australia, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga, plus a guest from Pakistan – and 130 lifters went to the starting line in one or more of the host cities.
The team titles both went Australia’s way, 80 to 60 over New Zealand in the Womens and 80-71-44 over New Zealand and Nauru in the Men’s. But the big individual performances came from the Kiwis and the Pacific –
And there will be more this year. The 2021 Oceania Championships are on in Whangerai New Zealand late November. There more records and big numbers will surely be put up.
Eight cities stretching around Australia and the Pacific worked together to create a successful 2020 Pacific Invitational. Nauru, Auckland, Christchurch, Perth, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane each staged a division of the big event and final results were compiled centrally, as athletes from five nations overcame the challenges of lockdown to achieve stellar performances.
New Zealanders took out both Best Lifter trophies in Powerlifting. 611 new points and a World Record Deadlift of 227kg at only 74.6kg body weight saw Karlina Tongotea dominate in the Women’s. More records will surely come when she returns to her native 72kg class. In the Men’s NZer Josh Tukua lifted away from home in Brisbane to PB by a long way with 753kg at 85kg and just miss the 600 points mark.
More World Records came in the Women’s. The Squat marks took a pounding from Yani Zhao 200kg at 84kg in Sydney and the improving Jewel Tasi with 220kg at 100kg in Auckland, while Riri Ropata came from nowhere to claim the 100+kg Deadlift Record with 241kg. In the Men’s there weren’t as many Records, but Taggart Duburiya in Nauru had big points with 735kg at 85kg. Reigning Supers World Champion Tony Reinmuth began an improbable drop to 120kg with 20kg bodyweight loss and a still good 880kg total.
In the world of the Bench Press specialists Langer Wharton of Nauru was the clearcut best with 210kg at 105kg. Special mention has to go to the Master’s Lifters Ronald Talasasa of Solomon Islands and Tiko Sakiusa of Fiji who overcame the tyranny of distance to come through in their divisions.
Back in action now, onward to the Oceania Championships in Melbourne and New Zealand (Junior/Masters) go the Region’s lifters.
All was peaceful at the Ibis Sheung Wan for the 2019 Asia Pacific Championships, with 130 lifters taking the stage in Powerlifting and Bench Press. The new Hong Kong Powerlifting Federation, already the dominant force in the SAR, presented the Regions best over three days of action in front of a full house.
In the Women’s lifting New Zealand’s Catherine Shon was out in front with 386kg total at 58kg to take Best Lifter. That was just two points ahead of Australia’s Megan Reed, filling out back into the 72kg class with 435kg, at 68kg. bodyweight. Hot favourite Yani Zhao never recovered from hips off misses in the Bench to come in third overall. In the Equipped division Tash Williams (NZL) was the standout with a big 562kg/501 points Total.
The Men’s classes had depth. Joash Teabuge of Nauru took out Best Lifter with 785kg at 105kg, being spared the expected challenge when Jack Adams inexplicably bombed on 185kg Bench. Matt Bartholomew of Australia was also trailing Joash, with 729kg at 94kg but was well in front in that class. Closer battles came down lower in the bodyweights. At 85kg Victor Liu held off Richard Kwan on the last Deadlift, whilst history repeated itself in the 69kg, Wesley Foo (Australia)’s 239kg putting paid to an inexplicable 261kg miss by Dennis Chu (HKG) when the Totals were added up. At 77kg matters were less fraught, Dyke Daoe of Nauru being 28kg clear of Tyler Man, but Tyler struck back by taking Best Bench Presser with 157kg at 77kg.
Team awards were duly split between Australia in the Womens and Hong Kong in the Mens.
Once again, big crowds at FIBO for Powerlifting’s stars, this time in Melbourne, Australia. Two feature sessions saw age group World Records fall at both ends of the spectrum. 57 years has not aged Femmy Ayegun, with great records in the Womens 53kg 55-59 years class, being 113/73/162/348. More of the same came from Masters Jane Marshall and John Dellow. In the Juniors ultra promising Jackson Myles of Australia snuck in an unheralded 105kg Total record of 778kg.
In the Opens there nearly was a WR, Sane Faato from Samoa via Australia made 258kg on an opener on the 120+kg Bench Press but twice could not get set on 273kg record attempts. Completing the job though were Nauru stars Taggart Duburiya and Angin Gadabu, clearly taking out the 85kg and 94kg classes with identical 705kg Totals. Up in the Superheavyweights Mr. Reliable ,Joe Whittaker produced his third 9827kg Total in a row to take Best Lifter, while another quality performance 529kg at 100kg grabbed the Women’s Best Lifter title for Nolene King.
World Powerlifting’s 2019 World Championships weathered the storm of visa rejections blocking out nearly half the field to come through with a quality meet in the upscale venue of Calgary’s Winsport Olympic Centre. Australia took out the team title over home nation Canada and provided the two Best Lifters, Elizabeth Craven and Tony Reinmuth.
In the Women’s classes Liz struggled through three hard Squats, came to life with a Master’s Record Bench of 87kg and then rolled the dice with a jump from 170 to 187kg Deadlift to try and sneak a WR Total. A snake eyes result still left Liz with 411kg and the Best Women’s Lifter Trophy.
On to the 58s and Canadian Junior Marthe Henry edged Australian Janelle Schulz in the first of likely many more title wins. At 64kg Tara Gripton of Australia had only to cruise to 433kg to handle the field.
Not that far behind Liz on points, up at 72kg, was the fast improving Karlina Tongotea of New Zealand, who surprised favourite Barbra Auva’a, 488kg to 484kg. The NZ women were a force across all the heavier classes, with Jewel Tasi and Riria Ropata taking out the 84s and 100+kgs respectively.
On to the Men’s classes and Lenard James (USA) made short work of Australians Ross Rickards and Joshua Luu at 69kg. Down the list but putting in a special performance in that class was 89 year old Joe Stockinger with 175kg Deadlift and 360kg Total finally getting him in the World Record books seven decades after starting out.
Then followed three decisive wins, Christophe Ang at 77kg, Victor Akpawan at 85kg and Zac Reimer at 94kg. Victor,especially, is a comer for 2020 and beyond and will fill out to 94kg and much bigger Totals. At 105kg Morgan Domney was flat and looked vulnerable at Deadlift time, but the two Canadian contenders pulled up 2 & 3kg short and Morgan bestrode the victory dais.
Finally, Australian Superheavyweight Tony Reinmuth stole the show with 967kg and 527 points at a trim 166kg bodyweight. 400kg Squat was a sensation and backed up with 242kg Bench and 325kg Deadlift for a PB by 30kg and a clear Best Lifter award.
100+ China and international World Powerlifting competitors were squeezed into just over two days of sensational lifting at the 2019 FIBO China Powerlifting event in Shanghai August 22 - 24. A packed house saw World Records fall and big Samtek equipment prizes go to the Best Lifters and Best Clubs.
In the Asia Pacific international Women's the name engraved Samtek bar for top performance went to Jess Sewastenko of Australia, a 194kg WR Deadlift topping out a great 425kg Total for her. Up at 84kg comebacking Yani Zhao was way out in front of local hero JiaJiao Xu in their much anticipated showdown, 502kg to 466kg.
The name "Joseph Whittaker" was being engraved into the Samtek stainless steel bar as soon as Joe came through on a third attempt 377kg Squat and Joe indeed produced the goods in the Total with 919kg. Not to be outdone, DianXiong Lin of China produced a World Squat of 261kg at 77kg, whilst near misses at WRs came from Australians J.P. Cauchi and Karl Di Falco.
But the show-stealer was guest-lifter and one of the all-time greats, Krzysztof Wierzbicki from Poland. Krzysztof coasted through 295kg Squat and 192kg Bench Press, before bringing the house down with easy 320, 350 and then 380kg Deadlifts.
Best China Club in the national event was Team Binchen from Nanchang, led by the redoubtable WeiBin He. Their reward? - a full 390kg plus rack Samtek set. Look for WeiBin to recover from injury and be setting records in World Powerlifting events in 2020.
More information on FIBO China at fibo-china.cn
The biggest event of the 2019 World Powerlifting calendar now has entries open. The World Powerlifting Championships will be held in Canada from October 3 to 6 at the former Olympic venue Winsport Performance Centre in downtown Calgary. All information is available via the Championships information memorandum -
or at 2019wpworldchampionships.com
Entries are open now, direct enquires to Meet Director [email protected] or World Powerlifting Board member [email protected]
