Work Placement Leads To World Records For Derby Student
30 November 2011
Hymsuen during one of the lifts
Everyone at the gym is as amazed as I am that I've done so well, so quickly.
”Hymsuen Liu
Hymsuen Liu collecting his medal in Riga, Latvia
For most athletes it takes years of hard work and training to reach the top of their game, but a University of Derby student has become British Champion and broken a number of World Records at a recent international competition, only six months after taking up the sport of powerlifting.
Hymsuen Liu, 19, who is in the second year of a BA (Hons) Sport and Exercise Studies degree programme at Derby, has recently returned from the WPC World Powerlifting Championships in Riga, Latvia, where he crushed the competition to win the teenage under 67.5 kilograms weight class - and the teenage class as a whole.
He took up the sport in the summer after undertaking a work placement at Genesis Gym in London as part of his degree.
He said: "Lots of British powerlifters were training at the gym at the time including former world powerlifting champion David Beattie, who is now my coach. They encouraged me to have a go as my physique was just right for the sport.
"Within a week of training I entered the British Championships where I won in my weight and age class. Since then I have gone on to compete in the UK Open and the WPC World Powerlifting Championships, and have broken three British and thee world records in the sport.
"Everyone at the gym is as amazed as I am that I've done so well, so quickly."
At the WPC World Powerlifting Championships in Riga, which ran from November 14 - 19, Hymsuen, who is originally from Pinner, performed a squat lift of 170kg, a deadlift of 230kg and bench lift of 85kg to become best overall teenage lifter in all weight classes.
The titles he now has under his belt are: British Champion 75kg Class 18-19 Teenagers, UK Open Winner 75kg Class 18-19 Teenagers and World Powerlifting Champion 67.5kg Class 18-19 Teenagers.
His records to date are: British Record Squat 201kg, British Record Deadlift 245kg, British Record Total 560kg (Squat-200, Bench-120, Deadlift-240), World Record Squat 170kg, World Record Deadlift 230kg, and World Record Total 485kg (Squat-170, Bench-85, Deadlift-230)
Hymsuen is using his strength and training to play for the University's Derby Braves American Football team.
The University's Sports Development Manager, Ollie Shearer, said: "Hymsuen has achieved some fantastic results only months after taking up a new sport. We are supporting his training here at the University to ensure that he will continue to perform well at the top of his sport."
For more information about Sport and Exercise degree programmes at Derby visit www.derby.ac.uk/ehs
