Effort worth the weight

Five Masterton powerlifters have shattered records at the Central Districts Powerlifting Championships, returning home with a fistful of medals.

Tim Hintz, Wai Weight Powerlifting Team spokesman, said four members of the Wairarapa squad won gold in their respective classes at the Central District Powerlifting Championships on Saturday including team leader Danny "Spike" Wilton, Tony Oliver, Tui Wilton, 17 and Joel Hintz, 17. Stuart Wilton, 18, took silver.

Mr Hintz said the regional champs were held at the Powerhouse Gym in Wellington and all five members of the squad have qualified for the 2013 National Powerlifting Championships, which will run at the same venue on August 2, 3, and 4.

The squad were confident of success heading in to the regional event, he said, for which they had started their training and peaking cycles at the beginning of the year.

"The team was confident going in but we're all rapt, obviously, that the boys achieved what they did."

Powerlifting consists of three events - the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift - during which competitors lift successively heavier weights in three attempts.

Each Wairarapa athlete completed their lifts at the weekend under raw classifications, without the use of a specialised bench shirt or squat suit.

Mr Hintz, who was unable to compete because of injury, said powerlifters can add up to 30 or 40kg to the bar when lifting with the use of a specialised shirt or suit.

On Saturday Wilton senior shattered by 10kg his own personal best record total of 700kg that he set two years ago.

"He broke some personal bests and, really, that's what it's all about - competing against yourself."

Mr Hintz said the feat is even more impressive considering that Wilton had set the former total while wearing specialised gear and was last year diagnosed with cancer. He had undergone surgery and chemotherapy and had been since cleared of the disease.

Mr Hintz said his son Joel Hintz had broken a national record in the sub junior 120kg weight class at the weekend event, beating by 10kg his own deadlift record of 230kg he had set at the Powerhouse NZ Record Breakers powerlifting competition in November.

Results: Spike Wilton, total 710kg in superheavyweight Masters 1; Tony Oliver, total 505kg in 105kg Masters 1; Stuart Wilton, total 430kg in 105kg sub-junior; Tui Wilton, total 457.5kg in sub-junior 105kg; Joel Hintz, total 590kg in 120kg sub-junior.