Tyrrell powers to deadlift silver at PF World Sub-Junior and Junior Powerlifting Championships
Even though he described it as his worst performance ever since he began his powerlifting career, Guyana’s Dominic Tyrrell ended his participation at the 2023 edition of the World Men’s Juniors and Sub-Juniors Classic Championships in Cluj Napoca, Romania, with a silver medal in the deadlift.
The day for the 23-year-old, T&T-based strongman, who is now destined for France where he has landed a job, did not lift off well, but ended glowingly with him announcing to the world that Guyana is a nation to be reckoned in powerlifting.
Lifting in the second of two flights of lifters- 10 in each- Tyrrell failed his first squat attempt at 227.5kg, just over 500 lbs. He got it on the second attempt, but failed his third attempt at 232.5kg.
Already on the board though, Tyrrell placed that behind him and was focused on the bench press which saw him getting all three lifts, the highest being 140.0kg.
It kept him in the fray and despite not challenging for the top podium spots overall, Tyrrell knew that he had something special coming in his pet lift, the deadlift.
With a very eye-catching routine, before he attempts every deadlift, Tyrrell’s first attempt was the highest by any lifter in both flights, 300.0kg. It was a successful attempt that propelled him into the gold medal spot for this lift.
Fans in the competition arena and indeed those in Guyana and around the world were anticipating an even bigger attempt for his second lift, but that was not to be as he timed out that second attempt.
His third and final attempt was 310.0kg, but he was not able to lift it off the platform. That was the exact weight that India’s Aren Joy Fernandes achieved on his second attempt to land the deadlift gold medal.
Tyrrell’s first attempt was solid enough for the silver whilst his Total of 667.5kg was good enough to seal him the 10th position overall in the world out of the 20 competitors.
In an invited comment after the medal presentation, Tyrrell said he loves to be very frank with analysing his performances, and in this instance, it was the worst that he has had at the competition level since he started the sport.
“It was the first time that I have gone into a competition and not hit the numbers or anywhere near the numbers that I was planning to hit. It was the first time that I didn’t make any progress with my total since I started powerlifting. All things considered, I definitely have a lot of room to improve and I definitely should have put a better foot forward.”
He further noted that there were a number of challenges he would have encountered prior to getting to Romania and clearly being in a weight class that is too low, was a challenge.
“It’s about time that I move up to 83kg which is my plan. I’m definitely too tall for this weight class. All things considered, I’m happy that I am the 10th strongest lifter in the world, I am the second-best dead-lifter in the world and to have accomplished that on my worst day possible, I am not mad at all. I am contented and glad that Guyana’s flag was able to fly at least in some regard.”
Tyrrell has expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, National Sports Commission, Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation, Mr. Oudit Seenarain, and his family for making his dream a reality.
Meanwhile, Alberto Herraiz Frances of Spain, who won the squat (267.5kg), also took the overall gold with a total of 710.0kg, silver went to Bobby Kian Tong Tan (702.5kg) of Singapore, who was the gold medal winner of the bench press contest with 190.0kg, while the overall bronze medal was presented to Thomas Bouyer of France (700.0kg) who was also the bronze medal winner in the bench press with 170.0kg.
Silver in the squat was taken by Alessandro Pastorello (255.0kg) of Italy; and the bronze went to Frances’ colleague, Marcos Albaladejo Castro (152.5kg). The bench press silver was won by Laszlo Pota of Hungary (175.0kg). Sy James Emmanuel of the Philippines was the deadlift bronze medalist.
