GAINESVILLE — Local lifters led the way at the 2016 Georgia Games at Gainesville's Iron Beast gym. Northeast Georgia athletes took home four gold medals in the benchpress-only categories.
Georgia IronDawgs members George Bradley of Gainesville and R. Garry Glenn of Oakwood competed two weeks after the American Powerlifting Committee's national meet in Jefferson where Bradley won his bench press category and Glenn won in push/pull (bench press and deadlift combo).
Saturday, Bradley won the master’s men's (MM) 148-pound, equipped, 55-59-year-old, bench-only age group with a lift of 225 pounds. Lifting in the MM 60-64, 220-pound raw class, Glenn -- who weighed in a little over 207 Friday -- pushed 320 pounds to take gold.
Cleveland’s Clarence Smith won gold in the MM 70-74 Raw 220s with a press of 225, while Gainesville’s Mike Moon, competing in his first meet, produced the heaviest bench of the day when he pressed 365 pounds on his third lift after missing it on number two. Moon won gold in the Raw MM 45-49, 242-pound class.
“George, Clarence and I are long-time supporters of the Georgia Games, so we were happy to lift again,” said Glenn, team Captain of the IronDawgs. “I just did bench instead of push/pull today after having to nurse my back a bit after the APC Nationals. This really ain’t a sport you ought to try back-to-back very often. It was actually a little more than I did on the bench in the nationals and at a lighter body weight, so I guess I’m pretty happy with it.
“We are all really proud of Mike. He wasn’t really close on his second lift; but his brother Tim, the all-time world champ of benchers 50-plus, gave him a little advice and he came back strong on number three -- 365 is a fine raw bench. The Georgia Games are pretty low-key and a great way to get into our sport.”
In full-power, rookie lifter Brandon Bergin of Fayetteville had the heaviest total of the day on the three lifts of squat (470), bench (325), deadlift (565) for a total of 1,360 pounds in winning the men’s open 198-pound division. The heaviest women’s total of the day went to Georgia Tech student Ashleigh Uhl of Newnan. Her total of 805 (squat 300, bench 155, deadlift 350) gave the 22-year-old the gold in the junior women’s 165-pound class. Jennifer Sanders came over from South Carolina to win the MW 40-44 year-old 148-pound division with 645 (squat 225, bench 145, deadlift 275) in her second career competition. James Cannon, 17, out of Pope High in Marietta, won his teen 181-pound class by breaking the 1,000-pound barrier with his 1,095 total (squat 425, bench, 245, deadlift 425). All the full-power athletes competed "raw," or without the special shirts and suits used in the "equipped" classes.
The Georgia Games, in their 26th year, also wish to thank the Iron Beast Gym, all their employees and the judges, spotters and loaders as well as Spider Chalk and William Lofton Photography for their support.
The Iron Beast Gym will host the APC America’s Cup meet in full-power, push/pull, bench-only and deadlift only Sept. 17.
