Making her international debut last year in Peru and setting the tone for what was a very successful sojourn for Guyana, Sarah Sanmogan will once again be setting the stage for another successful campaign when the South American Women’s and Men’s Classic Powerlifting Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, enters its second day on Wednesday.
The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) is being represented by three athletes this year in Sanmogan, Kheon Evans and the indefatigable Naranjan Singh, who will be celebrating his 80th birthday next month.
Sanmogan, who snatched four gold medals and one silver, will be going all out to even better last year’s performance and the only athlete standing in her way is Antonia Madrid of Chile, rated as the number one athlete in the Juniors 69kg category.
Other competitors in this category are Sophia Cabrera of Peru, Luana Delgado of Uruguay and the host nation’s Kira Yashnyk.
Coach of the Guyana, Kerma Singh, who a few days ago completed the IPF Basic Training Education Course, is once again confident that his charges will do well for themselves and the nation.
“I do not doubt that our athletes will keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high. We had a bigger team in Peru last year and they represented well by capturing 14 gold medals, two silver, and five bronze overall. That was indeed an inspiring performance and I can assure you that this year will be no different in terms of our success.”
The other two lifters, Kheon Evans and Naranjan, will be taking the platform on Saturday, both in the 83kg class, Evans in the Open and Naranjan in the Masters 4.
Evans will have to pull out all the stops in his category as he would be taking on lifters Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Bolivia. It will be tough competition but Evans said that he is up to the task and prepared for the battle.
Singh, on the other hand, is the lone competitor in his weight class and has promised that, notwithstanding, he will be putting on a classy performance.
He has expressed gratitude to the GAPLF for once again ensuring that Guyana is represented at these championships and promised that once he has life and good health, he will continue to represent the Golden Arrowhead with pride.
Federation President, Franklin Wilson, who is also in Argentina and will be attending the South American Federation Congress, met with the athletes and coach and congratulated them for once again making the sacrifice to represent Guyana, noting that he is once again expecting solid performances.
Wilson is expressing gratitude to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, and President of the Guyana Olympic Association, Godfrey Munroe for their continued commitment towards the further advancement of powerlifting.
