Lift-off to South Africa

POWER PAIR: Wai Weight Powerlifting Team members Brett Gibbs (left) and Joel Hintz will represent New Zealand at the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Johannesburg in June. PHOTO/FILE

A pair of champion Wairarapa powerlifters launch their fundraising drive tomorrow to compete at the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships in South Africa this year.

Junior world record holder Brett Gibbs, 22, and sub-junior national record holder Joel Hintz, 17, late last year qualified in their respective divisions for the International Powerlifting Federation world championships being held in Johannesburg this June.

The pair's manager and Hintz' powerlifting father, Tim Hintz, said both young men train and compete out of the Wai Weight Private Gymnasium in Masterton, where a Novice Powerlifting Competition will be held tomorrow to help entice prospective powerlifters to the sport and launch a fundraising campaign for Gibbs and Hintz to attend the world championship event.

Mr Hintz said up to 15 competitors are expected to take part in the event tomorrow, at which Gibbs is expected to help officiate and his son to demonstrate the discipline.

Gibbs, who in December was 12th in the IPF 83kg division world rankings, has since last year held the raw junior world record in both deadlift and total, all New Zealand open and junior records, and all Commonwealth and Oceania records except benchpress for junior and open.

Gibbs also holds all the equipped Commonwealth and Oceania open and junior records except the open deadlift.

Hintz finished first in the sub-junior 120kg class at the National Champs last year, and at the National Raw Champs set New Zealand records. In September he broke Commonwealth and Oceania records in his division and holds the record in the raw sub-junior 120kg class.

Powerlifting consists of three events - the squat, deadlift and bench press - during which competitors lift successively heavier weights in three attempts and their best three lifts in each event comprise an overall total.

Competition is divided into two categories; equipped lifting that allows a supportive bench shirt or squat and deadlift suit or briefs, and raw lifting that is performed without the specialised clothing.

The competition will be geared mainly to encourage new people to come along and join the sport as well as launch the campaign for the pair to attend the worlds.

Lead sponsors Bevan and Rachel Mackenzie, owners of Wai Weight Gymnasium, will be holding a fundraising event for the pair at Regent 3 Cinema in Masterton in April, Mr Mackenzie said.

The event will include the screening of a weightlifting documentary, possibly The World's Strongest Man, and an exhibition of powerlifting in the cinema foyer by members of the Wai Weight powerlifting team.

For more information call Tim Hintz at 027 458-4003 or Bevan MacKenzie at 027 254-5848.