Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. It involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effort of a barbell loaded with weight plates.
After a 20-month hiatus due to the pandemic, Singapore Powerlifting Open 2021 (“SPO21”) was held at the D’Marquee at Downtown East on October 16 to October 17 2021. The SPO21 mandatory requirement to wear masks was a new challenge for all athletes.
Leo Li, 16, of Li Foundation, participated in the U59 Sub-Junior category of SPO21. Studying at the Singapore American School, he is also the Vice-president of the community project Code For All supported by Li Foundation.
Leo clinched gold in the U59 Sub Junior category. He finished with a 428.5kg total – 161kg squat, 90kg bench press and 177.5kg deadlift, breaking the long-standing Singapore U59 Sub-Junior squat record by 11kg (previously 150kg set in 2014).
I’m extremely elated to finally compete as this is something that I have dreamt of. My goal for this competition is to break the long-standing squat record for U59 Sub Junior and qualify for the Asia Pacific Championships. Training and cutting has been hard, but we will push through the last bit and perform our best on platform.
Powerlifting in Singapore:
Powerlifting Singapore was founded by Mr Tan Say Yong, a Singaporean who competed in a California state championship in 2009. With the help of Singapore Weightlifting Federation (SWF), a small group of volunteers formed the Powerlifting Singapore group and organized the 1st local powerlifting meet in 2011, ‘The Singapore National Open 2011’. Although done on a very small scale with only 13 participants, this inaugural meet sparked interest from keen sportsmen in the local strength community, kickstarting the birth of the powerlifting community in Singapore.
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