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2003 WORLD BENCH PRESS CHAMPIONSHIPS
RESULTS: BENCH: 292lbs. 1ST PLACE 132lb WEIGHT CLASS MEET DESCRIPTION: The 2003 World Bench Press Championships was held in Trencin Slovakia. Trencin is a small town in the middle of Slovakia. Slovakia was previously part of the old Czechoslovakia. The closest airport to fly into was Vienna, Austria. Close however was not really accurate. After flying into Vienna, where Jen stayed for a couple days to get used to the time change, it was a 2 hour bus ride to Trencin. The bus ride left Austria, through Poland and finally into Slovakia. It was not without its adventure. While waiting for the bus in the Vienna Airport there was a bomb scare in which we were rushed out of the airport at gunpoint by security. Then we were stopped at the Polish border to show our passports before we could continue on into Slovakia. Needless to say our simple 2 hour bus ride was more like 5 hours. Trencin itself however was a very nice town with a central shopping and dining area. The exchange rate made shopping for Jen a must throughout her stay in Trencin. Jen struggled a bit with her weight, but it was not trying to lose it, it was trying to keep it on. Her sleep leading up to the event did not go well either. Europe and its time change seemed to be taking its toll. She weighed in the morning of her competition day at her lightest in years, around 128lbs. She was coming off knee reconstruction the day after Nationals, but had started training legs again and her strength had been there in training. The nominations had around 15 lifters in her class, to include some previous World Champs. After weigh-ins Jen said there was only 9 in her weight class. Many including the previous World Champ and the top two in the Europeans had moved up to the 148’s. After Jen had added 17lbs. to the World Record at Nationals it appeared that no one wanted anything to do with her. Jen’s warm-ups went well, but as soon as the weights started getting big she felt that she had no pop. She finished warming up and tried to get her head in the game realizing that she didn’t have her best stuff. She was planning to open up at over 300, but with how she was feeling and realizing that she would be opening up with more than 50lbs more than the rest of the competition, she choose 292 as her opener. Knowing that if she got her opener that the meet would be over, Jen got her game face on, which included yelling all the way to the bench. She killed the 292, but came off the stage stating I think that is all I have. With no one else in the class going over 250, the Gold was hers. She went 303 on her second and was called for an uneven extension, which drew some jeers from the crowd. Assured that the Gold was hers she tried to add to her World Record on the 3rd by trying 316. It was a valiant effort, but there was no way it was going to happen today. All in all it wasn’t a bad day. The mark of a true champion is to be able to compete and win when you do not have your best stuff. Today was that day, and as the champ, Jen put her head down gritted her teeth and just went for the win, even if it meant the numbers would not be that great. We did realize it pays to be a dominant World Champion. First, your reputation can force your competition to compete in other classes to avoid you. Second, and in this case most important, key people know who you are. For example, when the bus was ready to leave on the ride back to the airport, Jen was still in town doing some last minute shopping (as she likes to do). The bus driver announced last call and we were leaving, the USA coach explained that Jen was still not on the bus. The driver stated, that it was too bad and she would be left. At this point, one of the high-ranking IPF officials stood up and said, in his best English, “Jennifer Thompson is missing, she is the World Champ and World Record holder, so we wait for her. Luckily the driver obliged and Jen got to the airport with the rest of the team. |
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Special Thanks to Richard Weed and Carol Latta Chromosome Donors
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