Record-breaking day at Pan-Hellenic Powerlifting Championships

Six national records have been set at the Pan-Hellenic Powerlifting Championships in Aspropyrgos, Greece.

Paschalis Kouloumoglou (173kg in the men’s up to 59kg), Grasimilos Moisiadis (194kg in the men’s up to 80kg), Kostas Dimos (230kg in the men’s over 107kg), Panayiotis Efthimiou (67kg in the men’s up to 49kg) and Christina Pavitsou (45kg in the women’s up to 41kg) all produced record-breaking lifts.

Youth athlete Vangelis Vagenas cleared the bar at 100kg in the men’s up to 65kg to set the sixth national record.

However, all eyes were on Rio 2016 Paralympic champion Pavlos Mamalos, who won the men’s up to 107kg thanks to a 230kg lift.

National coach Dimitris Ioannidis said: “I did not expect so many good performances,” he said.

“In front of an enthusiastic crowd everything is easier. That helped many of the athletes deliver excellent performances. It was a great event, which offered everything a top athlete needs to perform to the top of his or her abilities.”

Hellenic Paralympic Committee President George Fountoulakis and the city’s Mayor Nikos Meletious attended the event on June 10, which was held in memory of deceased Greek powerlifter Themis Fyssas.