The 2nd Bench Press Competition was held on March 28. Twenty-four competitors took part in the tournament, including representatives of sports clubs and unaffiliated strongmen from Olszanica and Złotoryja.
The athletes competed in four age categories. In the junior category, Bartłomiej Cierlik from Activ proved to be the best, pressing 152.5 kg. Adrian Liana (also representing Activ) came second with a result of 150 kg, while Grzegorz Nowicki from Cezar took third place (105 kg).
In the senior category, Andrzej Kocyła, from Złotoryja, was unrivalled. The competitor, weighing approximately 96 kg, pressed... 200 kg. Piotr Nowak from TKKF Bolesławianka won second prize with a result of 145 kg. Bartosz Zawada from Cezar took third place, pressing 155 kg.
In the older seniors category, Jerzy Lewandowski from TKKF Bolesławianka won. The strongman pressed 185 kg. Bogusław Mienculewicz from Gladiator came second (result: 195 kg). Eryk Kindzierski from Activ took third place (147.5 kg).
Among the masters, Andrzej Lisowski from TKKF Bolesławianka was the best (he pressed 102.5 kg). Andrzej Kobzda from Cezar came second (112.5 kg), while Ryszard Kucharski, also representing Cezar, took third place (105 kg).
“The competition is not organised to see who is the strongest, but to promote this sport and a healthy lifestyle,” says Bartosz Zawada, a competitor and one of the tournament’s co-organisers. – “Unfortunately, very few people in Poland exercise regularly.” Nevertheless, according to Zawada, active ways of spending free time will become increasingly popular.
“The most common mistakes are: competitors bounce the bar off their chest, move their feet, which is forbidden, and lift their head, buttocks or torso,” explains Ireneusz Góra, president of TKKF Bolesławianka and a judge at Friday’s competition. – “There were a lot of mistakes today. We did not pay attention to all of them.” Góra has been training in bodybuilding for more than 21 years. “It is a wonderful way of life. It is one of the few fields in which you work on every muscle,” he adds.
(MOSiR/GA information)