Last week, we witnessed a remarkable showing of 15 local athletes who competed at the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship held in Almaty, Kazakhstan alongside many other strong lifters. This championship, which lasted from the 2nd to the 9th of December brought together athletes from Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Taiwan, Kazakhstan - just to name a few - fired up to achieve whatever they came for, be it breaking an Asian record, getting a podium finish, or simply beating their personal best on the international platform.
The Singapore team comprises 7 ladies and 8 men. The female athletes have achieved a medal tally of 12 Golds, 8 Silvers, and 5 Bronzes - well done!
Our females athletes include:
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Cindy Witono (U43, Women's Junior)
U43 Junior Silver - Photo taken from Instagram: @cindywitono
Cindy achieves a 227.5kg total with a 70kg squat, 45kg bench press, and a 112.5kg deadlift before missing her 3rd attempt of 120kg. Cindy earns the Silver medal across all individual lifts, and comes in 2nd overall behind Jheng Ya-Suan of Taipei with a 271kg total and individual Golds for a 96kg squat, 47.5kg bench press and 127.5 deadlift.
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Shirley Chu (U47, Women's Junior)
U47 Junior Champion - Source: Instagram @_shirleychu
Shirley takes home the Gold medal after a 110kg squat for Gold - 5kg away from the Asian squat record, 52.5kg bench press for Bronze, and a 117.5kg deadlift to secure her overall win. Shirley's deadlift also earns the Bronze medal behind a 127.5kg deadlift for Gold by Taipei's Huang Hui Chun, and 122.5kg deadlift for Silver by Sona Benny from India.
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Hiromi Takeuchi (U47, Women's Master 1)
Hiromi places 1st with her total of 250kg - a 95kg squat for Gold , 47.5kg bench press, and 107.5kg deadlift for Silver behind India's Sapna Jain who pulled 115kg. Her other competitor, Kazakhstan's Tskhay Natalya, follows closely behind in 2nd place with a 55kg bench press for Gold and 240kg total.
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Farhanna Farid (U52, Women's Open)
2nd deadlift of 178kg - Source: Instagram @coachbymarc
Farhanna retains her title as the U52 Asian champion with a 127.5kg squat, 57.5kg bench press, and a 178kg deadlift that pulls her total ahead of silver medallist Broner Veroniker, with a 142.5kg squat for Gold and 80kg bench press for Gold. Farhanna misses her last attempt of 196kg to take the World Record standing at 195.5kg by Joy Nnamani of Great Britain.
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Hayley Khwang (U63, Women's Junior)
U63 Junior Champion - Source: Hayley Khwang
Hayley's total of 360kg puts her in 1st place among her 2 other competitors, Napasap Flo and Wongkhasum Ponchita with their respective totals of 327.5kg and 325kg. Hayley secures all her 2nd attempts, concluding the meet with a 125kg squat, 75kg bench press and 160kg deadlift to earn Gold medals for each individual lift.
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Veron Wang (U72, Women's Open)
U72 Open Champion - Source: Instagram @veronwzx
Veron clinches the Gold overall with a 410.5kg total and a 173kg squat for Gold, with her 1st attempt of 163kg beating the previous Asian Squat record of 162.5kg by Takeuchi Ai from Japan. She moves on with a 67.5kg bench press and 170kg deadlift for Silver, behind Taipei's Hsu Hsiao-Li, who pulled 182.5kg for Gold and placed 2nd overall with a close 407.5kg total.
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Yunie Yang (U84, Women's Open)
U84 Bronze Medallist - Source: Yunie Yang
Yunie takes the overall Bronze placing with a 122.5kg squat, 67.5kg bench press and 172.5kg deadlift for Gold, ahead of Kazazhstan's Nurbieva Asem 157.5kg deadlift for Silver. Yunie's total of 362.5kg comes behind Turmenkistan's Zhumaniyazova Mahriban of 375kg and Kazakhstan's Bermukhametova Zhadrya of 420kg.
Congratulations again to our female athletes for giving their all on the platform, despite this championship being the 1st overseas competition for most of them! Medals and personal records aside, these ladies also return home with valuable experience gained on the platform, fond memories of cold Kazakhstan warmed by friendships forged with other athletes and team-mates alike.