Powerlifting Pair Selected for Gold Coast
WA will have two representatives in Australia’s Powerlifting section at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games after Ben Wright and Nang Nguyen secured selection in the five-member squad this morning.
Gold Coast represents a second Commonwealth Games for 30 year-old Ben Wright – who made his debut along with the sport as a Commonwealth event – back in Glasgow in 2014.
The High Wycombe resident finished 10th on debut but with the added international experience gained at World Championship level in the four years since, Wright will look to move up the leader board when he returns to Commonwealth competition on the Gold Coast.
Nguyen was born in Vietnam but moved to Australia with his father at a young age and now lives in Mandurah.
The 33 year-old confirmed his berth for the Commonwealth Games at last year’s Powerlifting World Championships in Mexico where he was the top Oceania performer in his weight class.
Powerlifting is similar to a bench-press, with competitors required to lower the bar onto their chest and hold in motionless, before then pressing the weight to full arm-extension and demonstrating a clean hold.
Athletes can lift up to three times their body weight in powerlifting competition, with Wright boasting a personal best at 178kg and Nguyen having successfully lifted 142kg.
The Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre will host Powerlifting action on the Gold Coast, with competition scheduled for Tuesday April 10.
Photos: Rebound WA | reboundwa.com