We were very excited to be given the privilege of hosting this years GPC TJMES (Teens, Juniors, Masters, Equipped and Single Lift) Nationals. This years event was presented by LOADED LIFTING so a big thank you to them for being our major sponsor and their continued support.
This event is very special for a couple of reasons. Lifters who fall outside of open competition, namely Juniors and Masters, are usually unable to qualify for GPC Nationals which is an open event. This competition allows them to compete head to head with others in their own age divisions at a National level and means that GPC World Records are able to be broken, which is not possible at the local state level. This is very important. We need to consider lifters outside of open competition because let’s face it, there’s a lot of them and they do deserve the opportunity to be recognised.
This year we had 74 lifters compete across all competition, which is an improvement on previous years which had around the 60 mark. Considering Perth is a long way from the east coast which account for about approximately 80% (at best guess) of the GPC membership, we’re very happy with the turnout and support for the event. Big thanks to all the lifters who made the trip across!
There were some amazing performance during the weekend from the up and coming juniors to the masters still fighting to keep the dream alive. Congratulations to you all! The full results are below so check them out. There were a few stand out performances including WA local Jim Ambrose who at 67 years young is still fighting on and went 517.5kg finishing the competition with a 233.5kg world record deadlift.
Aaron Simm from Simm City finally managed to nail his deadlift potential on the platform with a massive 335kg on his third but really entertained the crowd with a “hail mary” fourth attempt at 350kg which unfortunately was a little out of reach on the day.
Brian Cook was by far the standout Junior lifter of the weekend in the mens division going 790kg @ 90kg going 9 from 9 and the best meet he’s had to date. Stunning performance.
Turning to the women, the Junior winner Aliesha Sharp had a good day going 342.5kg @ 56.7kg and did just enough to win over Taylah Ebzery by only 0.41 glossies. A very close result.
Belinda Selvanera dominated the ladies masters going 502.5kg @ 66.30kg. That’s insane lifting from Belinda. She finished about 57 glossies in front of Michelle Smith to take out the overall ladies masters winner.
Below we have posted the full results so check them out!
Big thanks as always must go to the team behind our comps. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback and all of that credit must go to the people behind the running of our events. Our sport requires a lot of officials and volunteers to ensure a smooth and economical competition and our crew do a fantastic job. Thank you to all of you for helping us create the absolute best competition experience we can.
That wraps up this years TJMES Powerlifting Nationals. Thank you all so much for being a part of it.!
Dan Rucci GPC WA Delegate
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Female Junior Champion
Aliesha Sharp – 342.50kg @ 56.70kg
Mens Junior Champion
Brian Cook – 790.00kg @ 90.00 kg
Female Masters Champion
Belinda Selvanera – 502.50kg @ 66.30kg
(award collected by Martin Patience on behalf of Belinda)
Mens Masters Champion
Jim Ambrose – 517.50kg @ 74.80kg
State Team Winner – WA (26 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze)
