National powerlifting records are no sweat for Mooloolah kid
By William Robertson
10-YEAR-OLD Theon Koch from Mooloolah recently set three new Australian powerlifting records for his age and weight group at a powerlifting event on the Sunshine Coast.
The event was run by CAPO Powerlifting, a nationwide powerlifting federation, and was held on November 18 at the Muscle Hut in Warana.
At this event, Theon was able to complete an impressive 100-kilogram deadlift, a 60kg squat and a 45kg bench press, breaking the current national records for his age and weight class. For comparison, a standard concrete or Besser block weighs 13 kilograms.
In an interview with GC&M News, mum, Alana – also an accomplished competitive lifter, talked about how her son has been in and around gyms his whole life. She explained how sport and exercise was something Theon has grown up with and ultimately wanted to become a part of.
Theon said he was an avid rugby league player, and his goal was to one day play for the Brisbane Broncos and ultimately go on to represent Queensland in the State of Origin.
Speaking with GC&M News, his mum, Alana explained how Theon had initially picked up powerlifting as a way to get stronger and as something to do in the off-season. During the interview, she stressed how driven and self-motivated Theon was when it came to his training, describing how he trained three to four times a week in the gym and once a week at The Red Zone, a rugby league training facility in Kawana.
While both powerlifting and weightlifting are strength sports with similar end objectives, powerlifting differs from weightlifting which is commonly seen at the Olympics. Powerlifting focuses more on raw strength rather than explosive power. Powerlifting is composed of three different lifts: deadlifting, squatting, and bench pressing. In a powerlifting competition, athletes attempt to complete a single maximum weight repetition of each of these three lifts. In spite of his recent achievements, Theon’s deadlift record may not last long as he will be competing at a deadlifting competition in Brisbane, where he hopes to surpass his current record.
He also plans to compete at a national championship in August next year.