In the M3s, Janice Hawes played an absolute blinder in her international debut. She came from behind and benched a competition best of 57.5kg to snatch the silver medal from the Canadian. A risky move when 55kg would have taken it but it paid off and Janice takes home her very first international medal.
A lot going on in the M2s! Lincoln Rose stormed to a dominant win in the 69kg class and was supported by Maureen Gordon who took the bronze.
Karen McKendry in the 84s gave us a scare by missing her opener. It was initially given as a good lift but the jury overturned it as the replay showed her butt clear off the bench. Thankfully she nailed it on her second but the Hungarian lifter in class did not and failed to get a lift in, handing the world title to Karen at her very first World Bench.
Joanne Laird and Elaine Jackson both lifted in the 84+kg class. The German lifter was a little too far ahead for either to catch but they put in sterling work and finished with the silver and bronze medals respectively.
With two world champions, this was easily enough for the M2 women to absolutely devastate the Team Award.
In the Masters 1 category, Rebecca Coggle and Joanne Parkin were in the 84+kg class. Coggle finished 4th last year but led by miles this year, securing the gold was a brilliant 3/3 performance. Parkin was in a battle with the American lifter though and made a heroic effort to come past with 105kg but it was not to be and she had to settle for the bronze.
This gave the M1 women's team two world champions and the team trophy. Rebecca Coggle was also 3rd place best lifter overall.
M3 middleweight men lifted in the lunch time session. In the 83s, Stephen Vineburg finally got that 95kg bench that's been eluding him in competition for the last year or so. He got all his lifts in and finished 5th.
Fireworks in the 105kg class though! Andy Rigby is the veteran of many weightclasses, having lifted in the 93, 105s and 120s in the not too distant past. Indeed he broke the M3 120kg world record with 201kg in Kazakhstan last year and then followed it up by taking the M3 105kg world record with the same weight less than 3 months later at the Euros. Here he was in a class of his own and he nudged up his world record on his second attempt with 201.5kg and then followed it up with 203.5kg. Phenomenal.
Stewart Cowan was also in the 105 and had a real battle on his hands staying ahead of the German lifter but he hit all his lifts and secured the bronze medal - his first from a world championship.
With one world champion, the men's M3 team just missed out on the team medals but Andy Rigby was far and away the best lifter overall.
We only had two lifters in the early afternoon session - Darren Ball and Sean Gaffney had a cracking battle in the M2 120kg class. Ball lead initially with 160kg to Gaffney's 150kg opener. But Gaffney took a big jump to 165kg. It was a tough press but he got it and moved into third. Ball pressed 167.5kg easily enough for his second. It initially drew one blue card but the lift was subsequently overturned by the jury - lockout? Ball went up anyway and made short work of 170kg for his third, putting himself back on the podium. Gaffney attempted the same weight to take the place on bodyweight and what a scrap! The bar stalled and dipped and moved and stalled again. He got it to lockout - a moral victory but a technical fail and Ball takes the bronze.
We finished up a packed day with the M1 heavy weight men. Andrew Davey put in a sold day with three good lifts and finished in 5th place in the 105s with a massive PB of 182.5kg.
In the 120kg class, Scott Simon put in a valiant, if unsuccessful, bid for 215kg to get himself onto the podium but it was not to be and he finished in 5th place, matching his best competition lift with 205kg. Ryan Dixon was also in the 105s and hit three good lifts and a 5kg competition PB to finish in 8th place.
Some great results from the classic masters teams over the last two days. Huge congratulations to you all.
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