Guyana got off to a satisfying start at the South American Women’s and Men’s Classic Powerlifting Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday when the lone female athlete on the team, Sarah Sanmoogan lifted her way to four bronze medals.
The third-year University of Guyana student, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, who competed in the Female Junior 69kg Category, was in classes until the start of the weigh-in, but still mustered the mental fortitude to compete against her peers, her performance being good enough to earn her podium positions in all the lifts and overall.
She had a best squat of 150.0 kg, benchpressed 82.5 with her best deadlift being 160.0. Her overall Total was 392.5kg the same as the silver medalist, Sophia Cabrera of Peru, who finished ahead of Sanmoogan by a lighter body weight.
Cabrera managed a best squat of 145.0, and benchpressed 85.0. The gold medalist was Chile’s Antonia Madrid whose Total of 422.5kg was as a result of similar medal lifts of 160.0 in the squat, 87.5 in the benchpress, and 180.0 in the deadlift.
Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) President, Franklin Wilson congratulated Sanmoogan and Coach Kerma Singh for a brave performance against nations that have been performing well in the sport, but Guyana has always held its own and competed well, he noted.
“On behalf of the executive committee and members of the GAPLF, I extend warmest congratulations to you Sarah. We are proud of you for keeping the Golden Arrowhead aloft in some challenging circumstances. You did it again and we know that there are bigger stages for you to conquer in the years ahead.”
Sanmoogan also took the opportunity to comment on her performance.
“As disappointed as I am in a third-place finish, I am proud of my performance all things considered, with an up-and-down training year thus far. I’m not one to make excuses, but taking UG classes and working while training to compete with the best internationally isn’t an easy ask, but I’ve committed to it. I’m happy to have made it here again and look forward to smoother sailings and higher highs.”
Guyana will next be on the platform on Saturday when Kheon Evans (Men’s Open 83kg) and 79-year-old Naranjan Singh (83kg Masters 4) based in the USA compete.
A total of 132 female athletes from Sub-Juniors to Masters and 171 males in similar categories are competing from Guyana, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Suriname, Columbia, Uruguay and the host nation, Argentina.
