May 2nd was the USAWA Heavy Lift Championship with live venues being hosted across United States. In the end, Jessica Hopps completed a three-peat having one in 2024, 2025 and again this year in 2026. Nils Larson won his second time, notching his first win in 2023. Thanks to all of the host venues and promoters for a fantastic event.
Complete Results:
USAWA Heavy Lift Championship Frank’s Barbell Club, KCSTRONGMAN, and High Country Vigour Walpole, MA; Turney, MO; Lakewood, CO May 2, 2026 Meet Director: Jessica Hopps Scorekeeper: Jessica Hopps
Officials: Jessica Hopps, Dan Jones, Wade Marchand, Nils Larson, Frank Ciavattone, Eric Todd, Lance Foster, Tony Lupo, Sanjiv Gupta, Jarrod Fobes, Kim Van Wagner, Nisha Gupta
The Lifts: Neck Lift, Hand & Thigh Lift, Hip Lift
Bodyweight and Lifts in Pounds
WOMENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Neck
H & T
Hip
Total
Points
Jessica Hopps
42
158
240
622
1126
1988
2802.0
Nisha Gupta
17
86
90
170
209
469
1109.4
MENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Neck
H & T
Hip
Total
Points
Nils Larson
66
240
637
872
1546
3055
3143.1
Dan Jones
42
193
360
1122
1822
3304
3103.6
Frank Ciavattone
71
264
380
775
1510
2665
2716.8
Carl Puzin
69
216
350
610
1300
2260
2516.1
Wade Marchand
56
164
225
620
1126
1971
2317.6
Anthony Lupo
60
247
250
550
1120
1920
1855.1
Everett Todd
13
137
300
420
500
1220
1729.2
Jarrod Fobes
49
215
100
594
843
1537
1452.6
Sanjiv Gupta
54
208
190
483
623
1296
1303.5
Joshua Guerin
41
256
150
594
843
1587
1269.4
Lance Foster
60
269
200
550
0
750
694.3
As a multivenue event, each location will be submitting a meet report.
During the weekend of 25 – 26 April 2026, two meets were held in Columbia, MO at Clark’s Gym, a rare event. But each catered to very different crowds. First the Diamonds. This meet targets our older members (70 years+) – and it attracted some of our most accomplished Hall of Famers. The three USAWA lifters total 1245 individual records all-time, including the most prolific and third most prolific individual lifters. The events were; the Deadlift Hells Together, the Jefferson Lift, Bench Press Reverse Grip and Hands Together, the Seated Press From the Rack, and a non-USAWA lift – the Deadlift Fulton Bar No Thumbs.
The winner this year was Hall of Famer Randy Smith, who made his debut in this meet. Randy had top lifts in the Deadlift Heels Together and both bench presses on his way to a 1200+ pound performance. This translated into 1510 Lynch points. Second and third were Hall of Famers Denny Habecker and Frank Ciavattone. Denny edged past Frank by about 20 Lynch points with steady strong lifts across each event, and totaled 1372 Lynch points. Frank Ciavattone was number one in raw weight lifted and as the only lifter with a referee racked up three new records, including an ALL age record in the Seated Press from the Rack. He was also the top lifter in three of the six events. Also competing were two guests who are among the best from Britain. Tony Cook finished 19 points ahead of his countryman Stan Shreeve as both lifters racked up more than 1100 Lynch points. Congratulations to all of our competitors who demonstrated to us younger folks that age is just a number and, more important, lifting weights can lead to a long life!
Check out some of the record day performances as well. Toby Ortega and David DeForest did some lifts not commonly done that combine raw strength with dexterity. Jeff Wenzel and Travis Luther performed a strong team deadlift. Sanjiv Gupta contributed some big deadlifts, and Frank Ciavattone showed he has stamina as well as raw strength with five powerful records on top of his six competition lifts.
On to the Diaper Day Meet and Record Day. This day was suggested by Clark’s Gym members to honor teammate Travis Luther becoming a dad. It became sort of a “lifters baby shower” as the entry fee was some sort of baby item like diapers or wipes. Each of the events were meant to mimic the moves a new dad or mom may have to master with a newborn such as the; Full Gardner, Holdout Raised, the Habecker Lift, and the Goerner Stroll. Only one female lifter joined the party, and Janet Thompson adds another meet win to her strong 2026 showing.
The competition for the men was quite stiff as the difference between first and sixth was only 90 Lynch points, or only 11% to the winner’s total. The top five were even closer, separated by about 50 Lynch points. The winner was Jeff Wenzel, a lifter on a title tear! As a future Hall of Famer, he was the only one to total 900 lb in raw weight, and set two records in the four events. Teammates Toby Ortega and dad-to-be Travis Luther finished second and third, and were separated by under three points. Toby was one of only two lifters to set records in all four events! The other was the women’s competitor and champion, Janet Thompson. Travis lifted a raw total of more than 800 pounds. Riley Wenzel and Dave DeForest finished four and five and less than two points separated them (Riley was six points behind Travis). Each of them posted three records. Riley Wenzel topped the field with a 325 pound Habecker Lift. Randy Smith finished sixth, but with no referee, could not set records. Tony Lupo finished the day with three new records, but was all smiles when he actually completed a Full Gardner Lift. Jerome Licini also contributed to the competition and did not have a referee either.
The record day here was something to behold as well. The highlights were Jeff Wenzel and four Bent Presses as well as Jarrod Fobes, who did five repetition rampage type events and lived to tell the tale! Please check these out too!
Last weekend was the 5th Annual Bench Press Heptathlon and Record Day. The meet also features three special events. Eight lifters participated from two different gyms, six from Clark’s Gym and two from High Country Vigour. One of the lifts was a standard feet on the ground bench press for which, of course, we do not keep records. The other events were Alternate Grip, Reverse Grip, and Close Grip Bench Press as well as the Feet in the Air and One Arm Left and Right Bench Presses. The optional single events were the Reg Park Bench Press, and everyone’s favorite, the Roman Chair Bench Press, and finally the Bench Press “Rampage”.
On the Women’s side, two familiar combatants went head-to-head. Janet Thompson won the event, setting three records, including an impressive 65 lb Reverse Grip Press. She totaled 325 lb total and set three new records along the way. Allison Lupo debuted in the 60 year old age category totaling 340 lbs, getting the most raw weight, and setting four new records of her own. That included a Reverse Grip Press – a lift matching Janet’s 65 lb lift. In the special event lifts, Janet Thompson braved the Reg Park Bench Press to grab the 1st place certificate. Allison Lupo followed up with the 1st place certificate in the Rampage throwing up 15 lb a total of 53 times in one minute, a grand total of 795 lb. It was enough to edge Janet’s 10 lb at 64 (64!) reps which made it a great competition!
On the Men’s side, mighty Jeff Wenzel ran away with his second straight title finishing nearly 400 lb in raw weight ahead of the competition, translating to 335 age and weight adjusted points. Jeff still set three new records – impressive considering his competition was last year’s version of himself. After Jeff, the competition was stiff and a mere 41 Lynch points separated 2nd place from 4th place (3.3%). In that cluster, it was High Country Vigour’s Jarrod Fobes who came out ahead of Clark’s Gym lifter Tony Lupo. Jarrod pushed up 35 lb more weight and hung on by just over six Lynch points for 2nd. Both lifters improved by quite a bit over last year (17% and 26% by Jarrod and Tony, respectively), shaking off injuries which held them back a year ago. Jarrod set two new records including a Reverse Grip Bench Press that was tied for his best lift. Tony set records in all six record eligible lifts. The young Riley Wenzel finished a close 4th, with three new records to his credit. In spite of a slight off day, Riley was nearly 100 lb better than last year, an improvement of just over 8%. David DeForest put in a strong showing, a day that included both One Arm Bench Press records. Sanjiv Gupta was not to be left out of the strong improvement category, lifting nearly 100 lb (13%) more than last year. This included four new records to his name!
The Men’s special event results were very competitive as Jeff Wenzel performed a 251 lb Roman Chair Bench press, the best ever! Tony Lupo then edged Riley Wenzel for 2nd by two points in one of our favorite lifts! Moving on to the Reg Park event, the father-son team, Jeff and Riley Wenzel finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, while Tony Lupo edged teammate David DeForest by two points for 3rd place. In the Rampage, Riley Wenzel pulled off one of the most amazing feats of the day, a 5200 lb total (65 lb for 80 reps) finishing well ahead of the pack for 1st place. Second and third were only eight Lynch points apart, David DeForest getting 2nd (55 lbs for 58 reps), and Jarrod Fobes in 3rd (95 lb for 40 reps). All the great lifting and record day efforts were enough to have us looking forward to next year!
** One more competitor was added after I found their results in an e-mail account I very rarely use.
This year’s Grip Championship was an all-Colorado event. Nisha and Kim lifted in flight 1 and Sanjiv, Jarrod and Joshua lifted in flight 2. Weigh-ins and rules briefings were conducted and the meet was contested using the one official system.
We started with Pinch Grip, Deadlift, One Hand. This is the first time the lift was contested at the Grip Championship and mistakes were made. Flight 1 set the plates up vertical to the platform and had top lifts under 30 pounds. Essentially, they did a Pinch Grip Strict, One Hand. Jarrod correctly pointed out the error and Flight 2 set up the plates horizontal to the platform. Flight 2 all had good lifts at 100 pounds or more. Kim and Nisha declined the option to repeat their lifts. For record purposes, they should be recorded as Pinch Grip Strict, One Hand.
Next was the Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, One Hand. This was the fifth time this lift has been contested at the Grip Championship, and some big numbers were put up. The women’s field accounted for Age Class and ALL age records in their weight classes.
Next was another favorite, the Vertical Bar, 1”, One Hand. This was the third time this lift has been contested in the Grip Championship and athletes who competed in Tony & Allison’s Birthday Bash got to test their max lifts recently. At 86 pounds on a fourth attempt for a record, Nisha was the only athlete to set a record in this lift.
The last competition lift was the Deadlift, 3” Bar. Records were set across the board. Everybody was feeling the effects of the first three lifts, but everybody also knew what they needed to hit the overall field. Jarrod narrowly missed his third attempt at 355 pounds, securing Sanjiv’s position atop the men’s field. Joshua followed suit attempting 355 pounds on his third attempt.
The Pinch Grip Clean & Press, One Hand was offered as an exhibition lift. This is an IAWA lift and the IAWA rules were followed.
The lifter will grip the weight, either in front or to the side, as in the one hand pinch lift. The lifter will clean the weight to the shoulder and stand ready for the signal to press. The lifter will be standing erect with the weight held at the side of or just above the deltoid muscle, or even resting on the shoulder muscle (if desired). The stance is as for the start of any pressing movement, foot spacing is optional, but the feet will be parallel to the lifters front. On the referees signal the weight will be pressed out to arm’s length, as in the one hand dumbbell press. On completion the referee signals to replace the bar.
All athletes were able to complete the lift. However, maintaining a plate width spacing on the lighter loads required the use of foam spacers to achieve an outside spacing of 2.25-2.50 inches. The other challenge with lighter lifts was incremental plate loading. We utilized magnetic weight attachments so that athletes could still get a full grip on the plates.
Nisha – 15, 17.5, 20 pounds
Kim – 20, 22.5, 24 pounds
Sanjiv – 25, 28 pounds
Joshua – 28, 35 pounds
Jarrod – 25, 28 pounds
The consensus was that it was not a fun lift. As the weights approached maximum efforts, missing a lift resulted in an explosion of weight and collars as the plates came crashing down. The width of the rod was also a concern as the rod was coming dangerously close to the lifter’s ear. When I watched a video of Matt Jones’ 30-kg lift, it appear he used two 10kg plates, a 12-18 inch metal rod and 2.5 kg and 1.25 kg change plates along with collars. Our best lift was 35 pounds (16kg). Joshua attempted 50 pounds (23kg), but the weight slipped and went crashing to the floor.
Complete Results:
USAWA Grip Championship High Country Vigour Lakewood, Colorado April 4, 2026 Meet Director: Sanjiv Gupta Scorekeeper: Sanjiv Gupta
Officials: (1-official system) Sanjiv Gupta, Jarrod Fobes, Kim Van Wagner, Nisha Gupta
The Lifts: Pinch Grip Deadlift, One Hand; Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, One Hand; Vertical Bar, 1 Bar 1”, One Hand, Deadlift, 3” Bar
Bodyweight and Lifts in Pounds
WOMENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Strict Pinch
Fulton
V-Bar
3” Bar
Total
Points
Kim
58
127.6
27.5 (R)
81 (L)
86 (L)
154
348.5
661.3
Nisha
17
87.3
22.5 (R)
61 (R)
76 (R)
88
247.5
610.7
MENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Pinch
Fulton
V-Bar
3” Bar
Total
Points
Sanjiv
54
208.5
120 (L)
126 (L)
156 (L)
315
717
719.2
Jarrod
48
206.5
100 (R)
141 (L)
161 (R)
305
707
675.8
Joshua
41
257.1
120 (R)
136 (R)
161 (R)
305
722
575.7
Pinch Grip Clean & Press, One Hand [Exhibition]
Lifter
Age
BW
OH Pinch C&P
Lynch
Kim
58
127.6
24 (R)
45.5
Nisha
17
87.3
17.5 (R)
43.1
Sanjiv
54
208.5
28 (R)
28.1
Joshua
41
257.1
35 (R)
27.9
Jarrod
48
206.5
28 (R)
26.7
4th Attempts for Records
Kim Van Wagner Pinch Grip Strict, One Arm, Right – 30 pounds Vertical Bar, 1”, 1 Bar, One Arm, Left – 91 pounds Deadlift, 3″ Bar – 164 pounds
Nisha Gupta Vertical Bar, 1”, 1 Bar, One Arm, Right – 86 pounds
To determine the overall winner, the meet director decided to take the Age-Weight-Gender Lynch Totals of the three lifts performed to the same rule set:
Kim Van Wagner – 321 total pounds – 609 Lynch points
Sanjiv Gupta – 597 total pounds – 599 Lynch points
Jarrod Fobes – 607 total pounds – 580 Lynch points
