The World Sub Junior & Junior Equipped Powerlifting Championships took place in Sun City (South Africa), where athletes from the Donetsk region once again made their mark as part of the Ukrainian national team.
Athletes of Donetsk oblast added 10 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze medals to the national tally. Their achievements helped the Ukrainian team secure second place in the team standings for both the juniors and sub-juniors’ boys’ categories.
Among the sub-juniors, two representatives from Kramatorsk performed successfully – powerlifters of the Regional children’s and youth sports school and the “KPD” sports club, trained by honored coaches of Ukraine Alyona Bychkova and Oleksiy Bychkov.
In the 74-kg weight class, Maksym Fedin won the total with a new world record for sub-juniors – 772 kg. He also won gold in each of the individual events: the squat (288.5 kg – a world record), the bench press (213.5 kg – a world record), and the deadlift (270 kg – a European record). Additionally, Maksym claimed the overall championship title among sub-juniors.
In the 83-kg weight class, Oleksii Bychkov won bronze in the total (707.5 kg) and deadlift (272.5 kg), took silver in the squat (295 kg), and placed fifth in the bench press (140 kg).
Among the juniors, five powerlifters from the Donetsk region won medals at the World Championships in Sun City.
Veronika Bordiuh, representing Druzhkivka (city council youth sports school, coach Serhiy Fedorenko), won “gold” in the squat (222.5 kg) and “silver” in the deadlift (180 kg) in the 69-kg weight class. In the bench press, none of the athlete’s attempts were counted, so she did not receive a score in the total.
Yevhenii Matiieshyn from Kramatorsk (Regional children’s and youth sports school, “KPD” sports club, coaches Alyona Bychkova and Oleksiy Bychkov) in the 74 kg weight class won the squat (310 kg) and deadlift (290 kg) events, placed fourth in the bench press (167.5 kg), and took silver in the total.
Three representatives of the Mangush community, trained by honored coach of Ukraine Vasyl Zbandut and coach Nazarii Dyachuk, achieved significant world-class results.
Vasyl Zbandut, competing in the 105 kg weight class, won a bronze medal in the total with a lift of 960 kg. He placed first in the squat (407.5 kg) and deadlift (342.5 kg), and fourth in the bench press (210 kg).
Davyd Rubets, also competing in the 105-kg category, took silver in the total (965 kg), the squat (392.5 kg), and the bench press (252.5 kg), and also earned a bronze medal in the deadlift (320 kg). In the overall junior’s championship standings, Davyd took 3rd place.
Oleksii Lisenko, competing in the 120 kg weight class, won silver medals in the total (940 kg) and the squat (370 kg), a gold medal in the bench press (280 kg), and a bronze medal in the deadlift (290 kg).
Athletes and coaches thank the Ukrainian Armed Forces for giving them the opportunity to train, compete on the international stage, and represent their home country with dignity.
Their performance in the Republic of South Africa was yet another striking demonstration of the high skill level of Donetsk oblast’s powerlifters, as well as their strength, character, endurance, and drive to achieve new victories.