Powerlifting: Park powers his way to success

South Otago dairy farmer Bruce Park continued his record-smashing adventures at the South Island powerlifting championships in Dunedin on Saturday.

Park (71) broke national records in the 60-plus and 70-plus age groups in the 67.5kg class in the squat (130kg), bench press (80kg), deadlift (180kg) and total (390kg).

This was a remarkable performance by Park who only started competitive powerlifting at the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin early last year.

He won the gold medal in his age group when he lifted 180kg.

But that was only the beginning.

Six months later, at the New Zealand Powerlifting Championships in Timaru, Park lifted 315kg gross, to break national records for his age and weight class in the squat, bench press and overall lift.

Park first gained a love of sport when he was a pupil at Macandrew Intermediate when the 1950 Empire Games were broadcast daily through the school loudspeaker system.

He became a talented athlete and represented Otago in the throwing events and coached his daughter Jeanette to a New Zealand junior women's discus title.

Park and his wife, Lesley, both officiated at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

His wife was involved in a management role while Park was a discus judge.

The other highlight of the South Island championships came from Sylvia Clarkson who broke South Island records in the 60kg class in the women's over-50 and 60-plus age groups in the squat (65kg), bench press (47.5kg), deadlift (95kg) and total (207.5 kg).

Otago's Sonia Manaena created history by being the first woman to break the 600kg in New Zealand with a total lift of 612.5 kg.

She broke South Island records with a squat of 235kg and with the total when winning the open women's over-90kg class.

The other South Island records went to Keith Old in the masters over-125kg class in the bench press (230kg) and by Steve Varga in the men's open 110kg class with his squat of 330kg and total of 860kg.