Sixteen men and eight women from Otago, Southland and Canterbury took part in the competition at Remarkables CrossFit in Frankton on Saturday, and event director Anna Claire Thompson, of Arrowtown, said it had gone so well she planned to make it an annual fixture.
"It’s a format that’s been getting popular in Europe and the United States, and we’ve jumped in to get New Zealand’s first one," Thompson said.
"I’ll think it’ll get bigger and bigger."
Supertotal is a combination of two strength sports, taking the snatch and clean-and-jerk lifts from Olympic weightlifting and combining them with the back squat, benchpress and deadlift from powerlifting.
Among those competing was association president Callan Helms, of Dunedin, who said he got into competitive weightlifting and powerlifting after moving to Dunedin to attend university.
"I walked into the gym and thought ‘this is exactly where I want to be’," Helms said.
"I love the constant striving for improvement and the technical and scientific sides of it.
"And the community is amazing — weightlifters and powerlifters are really welcoming, and we’re all there for the same goal," Helms said.
Thompson said the competitors were part of a tight-knit community of strength athletes from across the regions.
"You find in minority sports like this that we really look after each other and support each other.
"Almost everybody also volunteers, helps out and coaches and looks after their mates and their gyms."
