RECAP: AAU WORLD POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
10/18/2013
Afghan Lifter MirwaisRafizada Benching at AAU World's
Written by: Hal Pittman Afghan Lifter MirwaisRafizada Benching at AAU World's Competitors from 11 countries, including Afghanistan, participated in this year’s AAU World Championship Single Lift and International Powerlifting Championships October 10-12 at the Quad Hotel in Las Vegas. In the past 17 years , lifters from 38 countries have competed ...
Written by: Hal Pittman 
Competitors from 11 countries, including Afghanistan, participated in this year’s AAU World Championship Single Lift and International Powerlifting Championships October 10-12 at the Quad Hotel in Las Vegas. In the past 17 years , lifters from 38 countries have competed at various AAU World and International Powerlifting events
Competing in the United States for the first time, the Afghan team brought seven lifters, several of whom set world records in their weight and age categories, and the Afghan team finished third overall in the team championship category. The world championship meet was also the West Coast showcase for the first AAU Powerlifting Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was held simultaneously in Las Vegas and Boston.
“We loved having the Afghans in the U.S. for the World Championships,” said Martin Drake, meet director. “We’d been working with them for more than a year trying to get visas and travel plans lined up to ensure they could compete. It was very rewarding having them here, and they plan to return in 2014 with a larger team!”
“Having our friends from Afghanistan here was an extension of the sports diplomacy program that the USA and AAU began with Afghanistan in 2011,” said Retired Navy Rear Admiral Hal Pittman, who helped created the sports diplomacy program during a military deployment in Kabul. “These are the types of exchanges that create goodwill between our countries, and show the world that Afghanistan is competitive on the world sports stage.” Pittman added that the Afghanistan Powerlifting Federation has proposed serving as a satellite to bring other Central Asian countries to next year’s AAU world championship meet in Las Vegas.”
For RESULTS from this meet CLICK HERE!
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