Thomas cops silver and bronze at NAPF championships

– Smashes Commonwealth Junior Deadlift record

Guyana’s only representative at the North American Powerlifting Championships, Anis Ade Thomas, ensured that the Golden Arrowhead enjoy a commanding presence on the podium, as he won a silver and bronze medal at the event, which concluded on Sunday in the Cayman Islands.

Competing in the 83-93kg Men’s Junior category, Thomas captured silver with personal bests and national records in Squat (265kg/ 584.32lb), Bench Press (132.5kg/ 292.16lb) and Deadlift ( 295.0kg/ 650.47lb) for a grand total of 692.5kg/ 1,526.96lb. Brooks Conway of the United States of America won gold in this division with a total of 777.5kg.
Apart from copping the runner-up medal in this category, Thomas also smashed his Commonwealth Junior Deadlift record of 292.5kg, set at the Caribbean Championships in March this year, with a new lift of 295.0kg. Rivalry in the Men’s Open 83kg category saw one of the tournament’s best clashes between Thomas and Joshua Thibeaux of the USA battling it out for second place honours behind the outstanding Conway, who was also the gold medalist in this division.
Both Thomas and Thibeaux started the Squat even at 265kg/ 584.32lbs before Thibeaux gained the lead with a Bench Press of 182.5kgs/ 402.41lbs to Thomas’ 132.5kgs/ 292.16lb.
Entering the final lift (Deadlift) and trailing his rival by a huge 50kg/ 110.25lb, Thomas, the current Junior Commonwealth 83kg Deadlift record-holder, pulled out all stops to lift a personal best and new Commonwealth Junior Dead lift record of 295kg/ 650.47lb to Thibeaux’s 245kg/ 540.22lb. With the remarkable Deadlift, both Thomas and Thibeaux ended on 692.5kg/ 1,526.96lb.
However, Thibeaux with a lighter bodyweight of 82.7kg to Thomas’ 83kg gained the nod for second place. Meanwhile, Vice-president of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF), Gordon Spencer, who travelled with Thomas, served as Guyana’s representative at a WADA symposium as well as the North American Congress, and had a successful debut as an IPF Category II Referee at the championship.
In an invited comment, president of the GAPF, Peter Green, said he is “delighted that Thomas has justified the confidence and funding placed in him by the executive in what was an extremely challenging championship in his last year as a Junior lifter.”
Green added, “Battling an overweight problem prior to departure; literally suppressing his liquid intakes and shrugging off jet lag to make the qualifying weight of 83kg on the line the following day, as well as giving the best of North America the fight of their lives, spoke volumes of the class and pedigree of this young man hailing from the Ancient County of Berbice and coached by Egbert Jackson of Total Fitness Gym in Corriverton.”