The Special Olympics powerlifting tournament results are in!
Gabriel Homes residents who train in Special Olympics powerlifting crushed the competition with their results in recent state-level matches in June. Everyone who competed walked away with first- or second-place medals in their weight classes.
Athletes competed in bench presses, deadlifts, and combinations. The latter combined the total weight lifted from the former two. Coaches like Bill Whiteside trained with the powerlifters every Tuesday evening for tournaments. Coach Bill said the state tournament was the most anticipated event of the year because it joined the best powerlifters across Virginia.
“I was so impressed and proud of our team. Our powerful athletes won 33 medals, and ten lifters set personal records. Everyone was fantastic.”
The results for the Special Olympics powerlifting state competition were as follows:
Bold = personal record
Past achievements carry into this season:
Last year, coaches worked with the powerlifting residents on following officials’ instructions. Missing any commands could lead to results disqualification in Special Olympics powerlifting. The coaches were confident about athletes hitting their cues, so this year’s goal was improving their form. Sam, for example, added more weight to his lifts when he started squatting lower.
