At the World powerlifting and bench press championships for athletes with visual impairments, held in Mersin (Turkey) from October 26 to November 3, five representatives of the Donetsk region from the Sloviansk territorial community performed well as members of the Ukrainian national team.
The athletes of the Donetsk regional children's and youth sports school for persons with disabilities won 8 gold and 2 silver medals.
Vasylysa Kozyreva won the powerlifting and bench press competitions in the 52 kg weight category. She achieved a total of 289 kg in three exercises: 95 kg in squats, 61 kg in bench press and 133 kg in deadlift.
Valentyna Grygoryeva in the 67.5 kg category became silver medalist in the bench press and winner with a world record in the total – 327 kg: 108 kg in squats, 64 kg in bench press and 155 kg in deadlift (world record).
Volodymyr Shaulskyi in the 56 kg category won gold medals in powerlifting and bench press. The athlete scored a total of 427 kg in the total: 152 kg in squats, 90 kg in bench press and 185 kg in deadlift.
Volodymyr Dranyi in the 60 kg category became silver medalist in the bench press and winner with a total of 442 kg in three exercises: 145 kg in squats, 107 kg in bench press and 190 kg in deadlift.
Yuriy Romaniuk won two gold medals in the 67.5 kg weight category. His result in the bench press was 130 kg, and his total for the three exercises was 512 kg (squat – 177 kg, deadlift – 205 kg).
The powerlifters from Donetsk region were trained by honored coaches of Ukraine Ihor Kotlyarov and Oleksiy Pozdnukhov.