A 16-year-old native of San Antonio heralded as a “great all-around” student by officials at Holy Cross High School broke two international powerlifting records this week.
Joseph Peña, a soon-to-be junior at the West Side private school, kicked off his summer vacation by competing in the sub-junior division at the International Powerlifting Raw World Championship in Salo, Finland, representing the United States team.
“I had been hitting squats higher than the record for two years in meets and in training,” Peña said by phone on Thursday. “When I was picked in for the team in October, I knew it was just a matter of time. All that hard work paid off.”
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Peña lifted 722 pounds on the squat, breaking the previous 573-pound record for his weight and age group set by Ukrainian Fedorov Mykhailo in June 2013.
But Peña wasn’t finished leaving his mark on the record books. He also broke the previous total weight lifted record of 1,692 pounds with his achievement of 1,703 pounds. Both of the records are for the class of 16- to 19-year-olds weighing 264 pounds or more.
16-year-old San Antonio student breaks 2 powerlifting world records overseas - San Antonio Express-News
Joseph Peña, a soon-to-be junior at the West Side private school, kicked off his summer vacation by competing in the sub-junior division at the International Powerlifting Raw World Championship in Salo, Finland, representing the United States team.
“I had been hitting squats higher than the record for two years in meets and in training,” Peña said by phone on Thursday. “When I was picked in for the team in October, I knew it was just a matter of time. All that hard work paid off.”
RELATED: 30 rising star high school athletes in the San Antonio area to watch
Peña lifted 722 pounds on the squat, breaking the previous 573-pound record for his weight and age group set by Ukrainian Fedorov Mykhailo in June 2013.
But Peña wasn’t finished leaving his mark on the record books. He also broke the previous total weight lifted record of 1,692 pounds with his achievement of 1,703 pounds. Both of the records are for the class of 16- to 19-year-olds weighing 264 pounds or more.
16-year-old San Antonio student breaks 2 powerlifting world records overseas - San Antonio Express-News