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CAPO 2002 Australian Benchpress Championships
WOW!!! What a competition..!!!!!! The ‘Post Office’ Nightclub in Northbridge was an ideal venue for the 2002 Australian Benchpress Championships. On a mild Perth Friday evening, eight athletes stood tall & proud for their individual shot at glory! Spread throughout several different weight divisions, each man eying off their share of the ‘booty’, & the Record Book, as well..! With three of the bunch being ‘local lads’, WA was well represented. In order of lightest to heaviest bodyweights, the proceedings went something like this….. At approx. 8.30pm, James Figueroa, who first came to the fore in March of this year at the Scarborough ‘Bench on the Beach’ comp., & hasn’t looked back, hit the stage for his opening attempt at 112.5kg – at 58.15 bodyweight. James was keen for a New Oz Record of anything better than arch-rival Adrian Zalcman’s recent 117.5kg set at the recent world championships in Finland. A relatively comfortable first lift paved the way for two further nail-biting attempts on 119kg – to no avail. Both incredibly close, James came out on a fourth ‘on fire’, & with the crowd chanting wildly, pulled off one of the gutsiest last lifts I’ve ever seen..!! A new Oz Record, an elated James & 7th place overall brought a successful finish to his evening. He first came to the fore in March of this year at the Scarborough ‘Bench on the Beach’ comp., & hasn’t looked back. My prediction..? Adrian vs James could lead to a bench in the region of 125-130kg. WOW..!! Go for it guys..!!! Frank Ballestra, a bit of a ‘dark horse’, came in to his first National comp. @ a trim 74.90kg. A youthful looking 46 years of age, & also with the ‘Powerlifting World’ at his feet, Frank opened sensibly with 150kg. Rumours of a 170+attempt in training were nearly quantified when a taxing 160kg got the white lights. Two further attempts of 165 were mightily close, with his fourth & final sending the crowd into a frenzy. This was SOME BENCHING, folks..!!!The biggest single-lift @ 75 b’weight is Ange Galati’s 172.5kg, so Frank’s lift, co-incidentally, is also the ‘All-Time’ biggest for a Master 40+ years of age…!!!! WOW!! And it’s only Frank’s first comp.!!!!!!!!! Keep at it, Frank, as your name will soon be in lights..!!!!!!!!!!! 6th place overall for Mr. Ballestra. GREAT STUFF..!!! In March of this year, Mason Jardine of Queensland benched a beautiful 225kg @ 90 b’weight for the GREATEST EVER 90KG BENCHPRESS IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY!!!!!!!!! Done at Tony Doherty’s Pro-Bodybuilding competition in Melbourne, it was a treat to watch. Injuries, however, dogged his training since, so was always going to be a doubtful starter on the night. Neverthless, again at 90kg, Mason made the trip to Perth, and, WAS IT WORTH IT..!!! Probably the most definitive ‘thinking mans’ Powerlifter in Australia, Mason opened conservatively on 205kg, with predictable ease. What followed were measured attempts on 217.5, 220 &, cleverly, 222.5kg. On Reschel Formula, he was always gonna be difficult to beat, & this fourth success put him out in front. It seems only a matter of time before the magical 500lb (227.5kg) barrier is broken by Mason. A long serving & tireless promoter/competitor in the sport, we wish him all the best for the 2003 season, especially at the World Championships to be held in Darwin in November. Well done Mas.!!!!! 3rd overall..!! Two lifters in the 100kg division. In order of lightest to heaviest bodyweights, Shane Stringer from Darwin was looking for anything at all ABOVE his personal best. Collectively, our prediction was 220-230kg, based on training & pre-competition lifting. However, something went ‘awry’. Four attempts at 195kg, seemingly getting closer each time, were all no-go’s with Shane reflecting on the night with renewed enthusiasm. As with Mason Jardine, we wish Shane all the best for the up-coming competitive season, & hope it comes out ‘right’ for him in ’03. A former Sub-Masters World Record holder in the Bench, Shane’s got the ‘stuff’ to do it again. Thanks for coming..!!!!! Henry Day, as is his usual practice, ran himself ragged leading up to the night’s lifting. A nasty viral infection had ‘knocked him for six’ in the lead-up, so it was anybody’s guess where he’d end up. The toll of promoting & putting on the evening’s show started to show in the warm-ups, where weights made seemingly easy two weeks before were non-co-operative. However, with almost half the 400-strong crowd loudly voicing support, Henry opened with an Australian Record 220kg..!! HOORAY..!! Two further tries at 232.5, & a final ‘give-it-all-you’ve-got’ attempt at 240kg weren’t there. Henry’s made amazing progress in the relatively ‘short’ time he’s been lifting, & I predict a 240+ Bench @ 110 b’weight for 2003. 4th place overall. Thanks Henry. Again, two lifters at 125kg. Grant Sandow came all the way from Canberra to compete in the lead up to next year’s Pro Bench in Melbourne. Whilst he’s not been on the National stage for quite some time now & carrying an unfortunate injury to one or both elbows suffered as a result of a fall from a motorcycle JUST prior to the event, he none-the-less remained positive & spirited. 200kg was a better-than-reasonable opener, considering the pain, & 212.5 went with some discomfort. Wisely, Grant called it a day thereafter, but, in the process, earned himself a spot @ the up-coming Pro Bench in March ’03. 5th place overall, & an excellent night’s lifting, all things considered. Thanks Grant, hope to see you on stage, stronger again, in March..!! The winner, & the biggest bench of the evening – Paul Nay. I’ve said it before, & I’ll say it again – Paul’s progress in this lift has been nothing short of phenomenal in the last two years. Training using methods seemingly somewhat ‘unconventional’ in the sport of Powerlifting, Paul came off an incredibly close miss of 265kg @ a ‘light’ 125 b’weight most recently in Melbourne, his home town. After alighting from the ‘plane, he remained cool & relaxed from there on. Somewhat deceiving in street clothes, Paul weighed in at a fairly solid 117kg. 235kg, a large opener by ANY standard, went up in reasonable fashion. A miss on 255kg for his second didn’t deter him, &, much to the crowd’s pleasure, a SUCCESSFUL THIRD ON THE SAME WEIGHT brought a response best described as sheer bliss from both the crowd, & Paul..!!!! Over the moon with this staggering lift, the biggest of the evening & one of the Greatest Ever Lifts in Australian History, Paul, buoyed on by an ever-enthusiastic audience, called for 266kg, for the ‘Record of all Records’!!!!!!!!!! For some 14 years, Rod Sylvia has held the All-Time Biggest @ 265kg. Seemingly un-achievable just a few short years ago, Paul lucked out on this attempt, but, by gee, she ain’t too far away, folks..!!!!! First Place overall, & a new Australian Record to break his existing mark of 245kg in this lift left Paul with a HUGE ‘smile on his dial’..!!!!! Great lifting from a great lifter – CONGRATULATIONS PAUL – bigger & better things are but a stone’s throw away for you..!!!!!!!! Recently, at the 2002 National Powerlifting Titles held on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Big Dean Cowan, lifting for the home state, went 272.5kg (600.75lbs) for two EXCRUCIATINGLY CLOSE MISSES!! At a ‘demure’ 145kg b’weight, Dean is one of the biggest men in Australian Powerlifting today. Some three short months on, & weighing in at a relatively ‘light’ 136.6kg, Dean once again tantalized the audience with an opener of 245, which appeared to made of balsa wood. It almost flew clean out of his hands on the way up..!! This all but tempted the imagination of what was to follow – AGAIN not two but THREE close attempts on 266kg, for the BIGGEST BENCH IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY..!!!! Jeepers folks, it was THAT CLOSE..!!!! It’s only a matter of time before the magical 600lb barrier is broken, either by Paul or Dean. WHAT A BATTLE..!!!! And WHAT A NIGHT..!!!!!!! Four new Australian Records, five lifters OVER 200kg in the Bench, & PRIZEMONEY GALORE..!! When the dust had settled, most retreated to the bar to discuss what had been, what could have been, & what will be..!!! WOW..!! As is usual with Powerlifting competitions of this nature, many ‘thankyous’ need to be passed on to the legion of volunteer help on the night. First & foremost, much gratitude to Henning Bach & Peter Phillips for loading/spotting the entire session. GREAT JOB GENTLEMEN – thankyou very much..!! Also to the judges, Bill Harnett, Darryl Pugh & Baz – THANKYOU ALL..!!! We look forward to seeing Bill (Australian 82.5kg Champion, 2001) Darryl (Australian 67.5kg Champion & Overall Best Lifter, 2002) & Barry Murray (CAPO National President – titles too numerous to list..) back on the platform SOON, all in good time for the 2003 WPC World Championships in Darwin – GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL..!!!! Much appreciated, too, was the effort put in by Karen Rundle, Australian Bodybuilding Champion, & Marco Ranelli on the scorers table – THANKS HEAPS..!! My co-host(ess) for the evening, Marco’s lovely wife Lisa did a magnificent job on her first outing with the microphone, & to the countless others (you know who you are…) – THANKYOU..!! We couldn’t do it without you..!!! Looking forward to March 2003, when we DO IT ALL AGAIN..!! The Tony
Doherty’s ‘Pro Bench” Championships, held in Melbourne
WILL BE A “DOOZY”…!! Look out for more excellent lifting
from all the above, PLUS MORE..!!!! The standard of benching in Australia
HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER, & we look ‘skyward’ for the level
to INCREASE..!! Hope to see you all very soon – until then, a Merry
Christmas & Happy New Year to all CAPO members & families, readers
& friends/afficionados of STRENGTH SPORTS..!!!! |
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