CLEVER CALLUM IS WAIT LIFTING STAR
He outsmarts competition to take benchpress world title
Callum Crozier used his smarts to become IPF World Benchpress Junior 105kg champion in Texas last weekend – and immediately took it in his stride.
Crozier (21), who is from Hamilton but now lives in Motherwell, beat the American and Norwegian champion to the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Championships title in Killeen on Sunday by bench pressing 192.5kg – then instantly turned his attention to the Scottish Championships at Ravenscraig next month.
He said: “It went well and I’m the new world champion!
“Ahead of the competition I looked at where I was and I was ranked. There were seven or eight others in my category and I was certain that I would be in the top three.
“Once I was there I looked at the other guys and knew I could win it.
“I played it smarter than they did. You get three lifts to beat the other guys and your first is usually lighter and you move up, but they went far too heavy straight away.
“They also concentrated on beating each other and didn’t focus on me, so when they failed their third lifts I just did my thing.
“They were watching each other and I was watching them, so I could see it coming.
“There was a lot of pressure and a lot of psychological stuff going on but I expected that, so I was prepared for it. I don’t get fazed by anything in competitions.
“I think winning the title means I automatically qualify for the next World Championships but I’m going to the British Championships next year anyway and I’ll go through the qualification process because it’s fun and I enjoy it.
“The guys I beat were the American and Norwegian champions, so that was pretty sweet and it’s a nice achievement.
“It feels pretty good to be world champion. It sunk in at the time and I started thinking about the next competition.”
The Scottish Championships at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on May 27 is Callum’s next target and he’s looking forward to it.
He said: “A press of 192.5kg isn’t my personal best but it is in a competition. My PB is 200kg but that was in a gym and counts for nothing because you don’t have any pressure on you, but it meant that the World Championship lift was an easy one.
“I’m going to the Scottish Championships next month and I expect to beat it then and probably will at the European Championships in a couple of months as well.
“The Scottish Championships are at Ravenscraig, so it’s in front of a home crowd and it’s round the corner from my house.
“When you take part in events like world championships, the Scottish championships might not seem as much but I wouldn’t underestimate it. There are a lot of good guys out there.”