After many years away, and a year after it was originally planned, we were back in Stavanger, Norway for the 2021 World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championships and the athletes hit the platform with passion.
205 athletes from 32 countries battled it out, breaking 14 open world records and 36 age class world records. In the men’s competition, ROC took the team award with 4 world champions and Oleksiy Bychkov of Ukraine was best lifter with 109.3021 GL points. In the women’s, ROC won the team contest with 2 world champions, just ahead of the home nation and Italy’s Carola Garra won the best lifter award with 111.2799 GL points.
There were a lot of familiar faces on the top step of the podium, but we also saw some new names rising to the top –Poland’s powerhouse, Agata Sitko, only just out of the sub-juniors and Érica Bueno, ten years after her first appearance on the world’s stage, finally winning her first Open Worlds.
There were a lot of moments that will stay with us: redemption for Tony Cliffe, going 8/9 for the silver medal after disappointment in Dubai. Ana Castellain’s first equipped world title in five years. Bychkov with the biggest pull in the competition at 390kg, even though he had already won. Kimberly Johnson, whose smile never left her face, even when she pulled unsuccessfully for the win. Hassanin’s 505.5kg squat just missing on a small amount of depth. Efimtseva’s 290kg squat as a junior lifter. Rhaea Stinn’s incredible 223kg bench. So many outstanding performances but heartache for a few – equipped lifting is a harsh and unforgiving sport at times.
At the end of the competition, Stavanger’s mayor hosted a huge banquet for all the lifters and officials which was a fitting end to a star-studded competition.
Gaston Parage, IPF President: “Thank you to the hosts for putting on this event, one of the jewels in the crown of the IPF and thank you to the lifters for giving us such an exciting competition. The Eurosport live coverage was very well received and is a sign of things to come for our sport. See you next time in Viborg!”
