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2002 WORLD BENCH PRESS CHAMPIONSHIPS
RESULTS: BENCH: 297.5lbs. 2ND PLACE 132lb WEIGHT CLASS WORLD BENCH PRESS RECORD MEET DESCRIPTION: The site of the 2002 World Bench Press Championships was Hamm, Luxembourg. With training going great and travel plans set for the trip and an attempt to repeat as the World Champion, no one could predict an unfortunate set back. Jennifer had been battling a cold for around 3 weeks when it was discovered she had pneumonia. Jennifer is a teacher and is exposed to children and illness on a daily basis; unfortunately this pneumonia came just a week before the World Championships. She was placed on antibiotics, but it was obvious that her strength was fading. She was short of breath just climbing the stairs or just doing a set of curls. However, the championships are only held once a year and you have to play with the cards you are dealt. The trip overseas was uneventful and Jennifer arrived in Luxembourg about 6 days early for the competition. The meet hotel was somewhat inconvenient; being located more than 20 minutes from downtown, the restaurants and even the meet site. In addition, it had no sauna for weight loss. This brings us to one of the stories of the meet. Jennifer had contacted the meet director who stated that there was a sauna, “just a taxi drive from the hotel”. The night before the meet, Jen grabbed a cab, and a 30-minute ride and more than $20 later she arrived at the sauna, 3 towns away. She went to the front desk where they explained how to get to the sauna through what appeared to be a health or fitness club. As Jennifer walked through the club she soon found out that this was not a fitness center but some sort of “Turkish bathhouse”. As she walked by the pool there were men walking around completely naked enjoying the hot bathhouse. With her eyes averted, of course, she headed for the sauna in 2 layers of clothing. As soon as she entered, a lady who spoke no English started yelling at her. Another woman translated, Jen was not allowed to wear clothes in the bathhouse or sauna. Jen tried to explain that she was trying to lose weight and wanted to sweat. To no avail, Jen was required to lose all the clothes and sauna naked for the next hour in a “Turkish bathhouse” somewhere in Luxembourg. As you can imagine she was trying to sweat as fast as she could. Jen woke up the day of the meet, made weight easily and came back to the hotel for breakfast. She hardly ate and looked pretty tired from the beginning. She did her best to convince herself that she felt strong, but she had only been off the antibiotics for 2 days. Warm-ups went okay, but Jen was starting to realize she did not have her best stuff. Knowing that she wasn’t at her strongest we made the decision that strategy not strength was needed to win the title. The decision was made that she needed the lead after the second lift so she could dictate the final attempts. Jen opened with 275lbs., which went up fairly easy. Her nearest competitors; Zhylskaya from Belarussia, hit 275, Wada from Japan, missed 275, Kuleshova form Russia, missed 270, and Darling from the USA hit 247. This set up the second attempts. Jen felt pretty drained but knew she needed the lead so she chose to go right after the World Record on her second attempt. Jen’s 2nd at 286lbs. was a struggle but 3 white lights and a new World Record was hers. Wada repeated 275 and got it. Zhylskaya missed 292 badly. Darling crushed 270 and let out her patented scream. Kuleshova missed 270 again and ended up bombing out of the meet, strange since she supposedly had done over 300 in Russia. Now to the third attempts. Jen had the lead she needed and now just needed to pick a weight that no one else could get. She chose to go after 297.5lbs. A total of 6 girls would try 270lbs. or more, on their third attempts, making this the most competitive weight class by far. Zhylskaya and Darling would give 292 a good try but both would miss and end up 3rd and 4th respectively. Now it was time to decide 1st and 2nd. Wada would chose the same weight as Jen because she weighed less and would win in case of a tie. Jen had the lower lot number as well and would also have to lift first. So if Wada made the 297.5, a 22lb jump she would win on bodyweight. The hope was that Jen had pushed her high enough with the big jump. Unfortunately, Wada had some left and made the 297.5 and pushed Jen down to 2nd place. Jen was a little disappointed in her second place but knew she had given all she had that day and just been beaten. Her spirits were picked up when her teammate Deb Ferrell won her first World title by beating 9 time defending champion Chao, from Chinese Taipei. Setting a World Record in the process. Another USA teammate, Joe McAuliffe, won a World Title and also set the World Record. The after party in downtown Luxembourg, with many of the USA teammates, that lasted to about 4am also went along way to help Jen’s spirits, or was that drink spirits. A special thanks as usual for all the support of friends and family, especially to Patrick and Lori who travel all the way from, Charlotte to Luxembourg, to see the meet and partake in the after party. Thanks also for all the support and friendship from her US teammates and coaches. Last but not least thanks to Jen’s sponsors SportPharma and Inzer Advanced Designs who help with all of her nutrition and equipment needs.
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Special Thanks to Richard Weed and Carol Latta Chromosome Donors
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