BRITISH athletes performed well at the IPC UK Invitational Powerlifting Tournament in Cardiff last weekend, with records falling throughout the event.
Suffolk’s Zoe Newson put in the outstanding performance of the day when she broke her own Junior European Record with good lifts of 86kg and 88kg which has moved her up a place on the IPC rankings to fifth. Newson was also the best ranked British athlete on AH points.
The French athlete Souad Ghazouani was outstanding breaking the 67.5kg category, setting a new World Record with a lift of 146kg.
Newark’s Natalie Blake, who was using the event as preparation for her next two Paralympic Qualifiers, had a good lift at 93kg and missed 95kg which she will be looking to achieve in Malaysia in two weeks.
But there was disappointment for Derbyshire’s Anthony Peddle who was looking to move up the IPC rankings to secure a Paralympic Slot, narrowly failing 150kg he elected to go up to 155kg which he subsequently missed twice. And there was also disappointment for Ali Jawad who was ill on the day and withdrew after missing his first lifts.
New lifters Micky Yule and Paul Efayena both acquitted themselves well in their first international competition, both recording 3 good lifts and personal bests. Yule, from Southsea in Hampshire, lifted 165kg in the 82.5kg class and Londoner Efayena managed 175kg in the 100+kg class.
British athletes Natalie Blake (Newark), Jason Irving (Manchester) and Paul Efayena head out to an IPC tournament in Malaysia on the February 2, and then go to Dubai two weeks later for another competition where they will be joined by Ali Jawad, Micky Yule, Adam Alderman (Essex) and Zoe Newson for the final London 2012 Paralympic qualification event.
Performance Manager Fiona Lothian said: “With seven qualifying events and over 400 lifters competing in the final four weeks of the London 2012 qualification period, and athletes requiring to be ranked in the top six females and top 10 males in the world, qualification will be very tight.
“None of the athletes are guaranteed a slot and they will need to be at their best in Dubai to qualify.”
The IPC Invitational Tournament in Cardiff was hosted by Disability Sport Wales and organised by Giddeon Griifiths.
