Records Fall as Hosts Dominate Parapan Powerlifting

Hosts Mexico continued their good form on the final day of Powerlifting at the 2011 Parapan American Games winning both gold medals.

As a result Mexico finished the competition having won four out of the six golds available.

The first contest on day three was the women’s 67.5kg - +82.5kg. Gold went to Perla Barcenas who broke the +82.5kg Games record with each of her three lifts. Her final lift was 140.0kg which earned her 116.17 points.

Silver went to her teammate Catalina Diaz who lifted 120.0kg (105.64 points).

USA’s Mary Stack, a veteran of three Paralympic Games without a medal, finally won her first medal in a major competition taking bronze with 127.0kg (100.22 points.) Stack also broke the Games +82.5kg record twice during competition.

The Americas -90kg record was broken twice in the men’s 90kg - +100kg by winner Jose de Jesus Castillo. His final lift of 220.0kg (195.9 points) easily saw him secure top spot ahead of Brazil’s Rodrigo Marques whose best lift was 192.0kg (172.58 points). The bronze medal was claimed by USA’s Ahmed Shafik with 175.0kg (160.68 points.)

This is the fourth edition of the Parapan American Games and has attracted 1,500 athletes from 24 countries who will compete in 13 different sports.