Young powerlifter wins at national championships

A 16-year-old home schooler from Vermont, Michael Kroukam, is officially the strongest powerlifter of his age in the country, after winning the Sub-Junior category (14 – 18 years) in the 93 kg weight group at the South African Classic Powerlifting Championships held from 4 – 7 December in Potchefstroom.

Michael prepares to perform a deadlift. PHOTO: Supplied

Johan Kruger and Michael Kroukam with his medals and trophy from the South African Classic Powerlifting Championships. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three lifts, namely a squat, bench press and deadlift. Each competitor gets three tries for each lift, after which their best weight for each is combined to calculate a final score. The national standard that must be met for Michael's age and weight is a combined weight of 447.5 kg. Michael's total was 562.5 kg (best squat 200 kg, best bench press 127.5 kg and best deadlift 235 kg), making him the overall winner in the Sub-Junior category.

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