Kester Lewis, Theodore Henry & Mark Seymour set new records

Apr 28, 2009 Sports

By Franklin Wilson

Mark Seymour

Three new records were achieved at the 2009 Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation/Banks Power Stout championship which took place on Sunday last at the St. Stanislaus College Auditorium.

Theodore Henry caught deadlifting 462 ¾ pounds at the GAPF

National Rugby player Theodore Henry (bodyweight 205.9lbs), competing in the 100kg (220lbs) class set a new overall record with 1361 pounds. Henry, who also played for the West Indies Rugby team, had a best squat of 562 lbs, bench press 303 and a dead lift of 462 ¾ lbs. Henry also copped the best lifter award.
Also achieving a new overall record in the 110kg (242 lbs) division was multi talented athlete and Wakenaam born Mark Seymour (bodyweight 231.4lbs) who totaled 1327.75. His best squat was 540; bench press 303 and dead lift, 518.

Kester Lewis raises his hands in celebration after setting a new squat record in the 67.5kg – 148.5lbs category.

Kester Lewis (67.5kg – 148.5 lbs) with a bodyweight weight of 147 lbs shattered his cousin, Kelvin Lewis’ old squat record of 418 set in 2007 with a new mark of 424 ¼ lbs with his third attempt competing in the 75kg (165lbs) weight class.
Seymour and Henry attempted to crack old squat marks with their 4th attempts but did not succeed.
Seymour’s attempt at 567 ½ to break Z. Khan’s 2006 mark of 562 lbs achieved at the Critchlow Labour College failed, while Henry was aiming for G. Shepherd’s 584 set back in 2000 at St. Stanislaus College. Henry was attempting 589 ½.
Other category winners were Traiq Immamdeen (60kg – 132 lbs) squat 275.5; bench press 132.25; dead lift 385.75 for an overall total of 793.50. Immamdeen carried a bodyweight of 128.6 lbs.
Burt Adams, bodyweight of 157.2 lbs competing in the 75kg (165 lbs) category achieved a best squat of 253.5; bench press 192.75 and dead lift 352.5 for a total of 798.75. Another Rugby player, Jose Felicien totaled 1037.75 competing in the 90kg (198 lbs) class with a bodyweight of 193.5. His best squat was 396.75; bench press 214.75 and dead lift 518.
Guest lifting was Linden based athletes Franklin Brisport and Colin ‘Mr. Clean’ Chesney.
The organisers struggled to rack up the right amount of weights for Chesney’s (125kg – 275 lbs class) first attempt at squat, 762 lbs, with the athlete having to wait for about 15 minutes after the announcer introduced him.
There was some amount of checking and calculating by the judges and officials after it was realized that some of the weights were short, resulting in Chesney having to strap down twice. When he finally got his chance and was settling under the bar, he (Chesney) realized that he wanted some more space between the weight rack and baked out for the spotters to adjust accordingly.
It was then announced that that was a first attempt with the next being his second. That angered Chesney to the point that he decided that that was the end of his participation in the championship.
Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, Chesney said that it was a bit unfair for the judges to decide that settling under the bar and backing off was termed his first attempt.
“I had to wait for so long and every time I strapped down I lost energy. I never moved the weights off the rack and did not even start to do any squatting so to decide that that was my first attempt was poor judgement, to my mind.”
Brisport (67.5kg – 148.5lbs) with a bodyweight of 138.5 achieved an overall total of 947.75, squat 385.75; bench press 187.25 and deadlift 374.75.
The GAPF took the opportunity to collect a donation from patrons for the 3-member team that will be representing Guyana at the 3rd Annual Caribbean Islands Bench Press and Powerlifting Championships set for Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands May 14 – 16, 2009. Admission to Sunday event was free.