Eastern Cape weightlifters Thomas Farquhar and Jayden Pretorius lifted their game to new heights as they chalked up two South African records in their divisions at the national championships last week.
Training out of the ECX Dragons gym on Sardinia Bay Road, which was the venue for the 2018 South African U14, Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, both champions were in their element as they lifted their way to gold in their own back-yard.
Competing in the 94kg weight class, Farquhar finally overcame the hurdle that had been his stumbling block at the Arnold Classic Africa only a few weeks earlier, as he set a new 137kg national record for the snatch in his division.
“It is nice to finally get the record. We had attempted it at Arnold Classic, but missed it, so going into this competition, breaking the record was one of our main goals,” he said,
Farquhar also lifted a 150kg clean and jerk to take his total to 287kg and the gold medal.
His exploits also helped him secure the junior men champion of champions trophy.
In the under-69kg division, Pretorius claimed gold with a total of 231kg, from a recordbreaking 104kg snatch and a 127kg clean and jerk, earning him the youth boys champion of champions trophy.
He also took the gold in the junior men 69kg category.
In total, the Eastern Cape side claimed nine gold medals, a silver and a bronze, in addition to four of the six best lifter trophies on offer at the event, to go along with their pair of national records.
Anthony Janse van Rensburg picked up gold in the 63kg category after lifting a personal best 33kg snatch and a 40kg clean and jerk.
Michael Combrink, also participating in his first national competition, took second place in the 62kg youth boys division, totalling 124kg with personal best lifts of 54kg snatch and 70kg clean and jerk.
Competing in the same division, James Pretorius took gold in the youth boys’ and junior men’s categories with a total of 180kg from an 80kg snatch and 100kg clean and jerk.
Luane Viljoen was the best of the best in both the youth and U14 girls’ divisions. She lifted in the 58kg weight class, and put up personal best lifts of 47kg snatch and a 63kg clean and jerk, to win with 110kg.
She also picked up the champion of champion trophies in both divisions.
Lesche Sampson took second place in the 63kg division, U14 girls’ category, with lifts of 15kg snatch and a 18kg clean and jerk, totalling 33kg.
Christie Piet, an U14 girl lifting in the +63kg weight class, took gold after recording a total of 67kg with a 30kg snatch and 37kg clean and jerk.
In the youth boys’ category, Simamkele Matyutyu, lifting in the 69kg section, took bronze with a 42kg snatch and a 55kg clean and jerk, totalling 97kg.