More than a dozen weightlifters from across the South East tested their hand at powerlifting and strongman events over the weekend.
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Held at Pambula strength and conditioning gym Iron Stronghold, locals matched it with some of Canberra’s best across two days of events.
Far South Coast weightlifters Loureen Kelly and Nik Stone were standouts in the strongman events on Sunday, securing first in the ladies and second in the men’s respectively.
Earlier during Saturday’s powerlifting event Denys Kosminsky kept a strong contingent of visiting Canberrans honest with some remarkable lifts.
Kelly said it was her first-ever attempt at competing in strongman events and was “obviously a day full of personal bests.”
"Having never done any strongman lifts I had to learn each event on the spot,” she said with a laugh.
She crushed the yoke walk, hauling 180kg, while managing 80kg each side in the farmers’ carry event.
Kelly said it was a “super fun” event and congratulated organisers for hosting.
Kelly finished just a single point ahead of Jess Ford in the ladies division, while Stone finished second in the over 90kg men’s event behind Brendan Lentall.
The pointy end of the leaderboard was hotly contested with some impressive weights lifted.
Stone featured in a video on the Iron Stronghold Facebook page, carrying 130kg on each arm during the farmers’ walk section.
He and Canberra’s Ven Tui also both competed strongly in the yoke walk, getting up to about 300kg.
Saturday had already been a powerlifting competition where Tui was possibly the strongest contender, especially in the bench press.
Tui lifted 227kg on the bench, but said it was just shy of his personal best.
“I have lifted 230 before, but I want to save myself for tomorrow,” he said on Saturday.
He did say that his squat of 305kg was a personal best and he was thrilled to hit the mark.
A surprise entrant and impressive contender for Saturday’s crown was a recent addition to the Iron Stronghold stables.
Organisers welcomed Ukrainian national Denys Kosminsky, who now lives in Eden, who matched Tui across the board except for the bench press.
Kosminsky had some stunning lifts including a second round squat of 330kg and a first round deadlift of 290kg.
Organiser Dan Dakis commended all the entrants on their efforts.
