Turkmen power lifter – world champion and record holder!
The 27-year-old Candidate to Master of Sport from Ashgabat won three gold medals and established two world records in the single event of the World Powerlifting Championships. Over 240 men and women from 15 countries worldwide including the United States, Australia, Europe and Asia competed in 12 weight categories. The WDFPF (World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation) World Powerlifting Championship was held in Bradford, England.

Uniting over 50 countries the WDFPF was created in 1988 specifically as a drug-free alternative international platform - in order to provide fair competition world-wide for powerlifters wishing to train and compete without performance enhancing drugs. To achieve this goal WDFPF adopted more stringent procedures for doping control held under the aegis of the competitions. Thus, athletes, set up world records or taken the first places in their weight categories, pass doping control. The results of the WDFPF tournaments are evaluated only in certain types of exercises - squat, bench press.

In 2009 Turkmenistan where development of sport is a priority of the national policy became the first country in Central Asian region to become a WDFPF full member. It is gratifying to know that the year of joining this international sports organization has been marked with the brilliant performance of our powerlifter at the European Open Powerlifting Championship in France and the World Championships in England.

“In the under 52 kg category I was to break the world record in the squat event (125 kg) and in the deadlift event (150.5 kg) that I had been set up at the European Open Power lifting Championship in France this May”, Vepa Nurnazarov said after returning home. “I lifted 126 kg in the first event. In the deadlift event I lifted 151 kg.”

Vepa pressed 80 kg in the bench press event and bettered the result he had gained at the European Open Championship (75 kg).

The sportsman’s coach – a coach of the sports school in Kaahkha Etrap Ruslan Atayev and Vyacheslav Kafarov that have trained Vepa for three years contributed to the success of the talented athlete. Under their supervision Vepa has passed the way from the Turkmenistan champion and Turkmenistan Cup winner to the Europe and World champion and five time world record holder in the WDFPF events.

W. Nurnazarov is planning to take part in the 2010 WDFPF World Championship, which will be held in St. Petersburg.

• See complete results of this competition here