In a Mens Nationals that turns out to be on of the most competitive Nationals ever, 4 champions are crowned as a result of making deadlifts to give them their titles. All 4 each win by margins of 2.5 kg or less.
At 114 lbs. Doan Nguyen outlasts Keith Borque with a deadlift of 468 lbs. In the 123's, All Time-Mens Nationals team member Dave Weiss hauls up 462 lbs. to overtake Henry Garcia by just 2.5 kgs.
At 148 lbs., Eric "The Flamingo Kid" Kupperstein, tops Derek Beatty on a bodyweight decision with his final lift of 567 lbs. At 220 lbs, All Time-Mens Nationals Team member Shawn Cain holds off the hard charging Willie Wessells with a 716 lb. deadlift and a stellar 8 for 9 day.
The 25th Anniversary Mens Nationals is capped of by Brad Gillingham winning a tight SHW class and a trip back to the IPF Worlds.
Gillingham edges hometown lifter Jeff Lewis, as the standing room only crowd is reaches deafening levels throughout the day. The placings are determined on finals pulls, and unless you've been living under a rock, you know Gillingham, an IPF Hall of Famer, is nothing but nails when it comes to the deadlift.
He pulls 837 likes it's another day at the office, sets it down and gives the plates his signature friendly tap. As he does this, he whispers to himself "Going back to the WORLDS".
ADFPA
USA Powerlifting Renamed from ADFPA to USA Powerlifting in 1997 when the organization was made the USA's representative under the IPF umbrella. Events became more structured and IPF qualifiers for legitimate World Championships.
