Peterson-Griffith is Guyana’s second World Record holder

…Winston ‘The Little Master’ Stoby was first in Masters 2

While the nation is still in a celebratory mood and is overjoyed by the recent feat of Carlos ‘The Showstopper’ Peterson-Griffith at the recent World Open Powerlifting Championships held in Druskininkai, Lithuania, the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) has moved to inform the public that Carlos became the first athlete in the Open category to set a world record with his squat of 337.5kg.
One would recall that Carlos had attempted this feat in England at Sheffield 24, but came up short in that memorable battle with the USA’s Gavin Aiden. This has taken nothing away from his deserving glory.
However, GAPLF records inform that the first Guyanese athlete to achieve a world record in the sport is the trail-blazing and accomplished Winston ‘The little Master’ Stoby.
Stoby’s feat was achieved over a decade ago in the 74kg Masters 2 Division, first at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships held in Killeen, Texas in October 2012, and then at the 31st World Masters Men’s Powerlifting Championships held in Orlando, Florida in September, 2013, when he added more kgs almost a year later.

Carrying the nation on his shoulders then, Stoby had destroyed his old deadlift World Record of 272.0kg set one year earlier with a new record of 277.5kg to win the gold medal in that lift, but he had to settle for overall silver medal as the USA’s Gregory Page won the gold.
He did try to raise the bar even higher by attempting 280kg on his third and final lift, but was not successful, although he set the new WR on his second attempt.
The GAPLF, and by extension the nation, is very proud of both Stoby and Petterson-Griffith for their achievements, and would continue to work towards high standards being maintained.
Dominic Tyrell’s achievement of a Deadlift bronze is also very commendable in his first year as a senior athlete, and the Federation is confident that Tyrell will continue to grow and prove himself exceptional in the sport.
Meanwhile, next up for Guyana on the international scene are the World Classic & Equipped Sub-Junior & Junior Powerlifting Championships, set for staging in Malta in August/September. Romeo Hunter, who won the Squat gold medal at the 2023 championships in Romania, would be competing in his final year as a sub-junior.