By Sean Rooney on May 8, 2018.
Medicine Hat News Medicine Hat powerlifters set a bunch of national and world records at a Raw Powerlifting competition in Calgary Saturday. At Smash Conditioning in Calgary, athletes representing both Gas City CrossFit and Back Alley Fitness had great results, just a few months after Medicine Hat hosted a Raw-branded event of its own. Raw has its own set of records and rules, emphasizing its athletes use no drugs or supportive equipment. Teresa Lei of Back Alley needed a tremendous effort to tie a world record in deadlift of 162.5 kilograms, plus broke the national squat record with a 130-kg lift. She finished first in her 67.5-kg weight class for women under 25 years old. The other Hat division winner was Gas City CrossFit’s Melanie Perron. Perron wound up with a second place overall finish in her plus-40 age category, earning national records in squat (127.5 kg) and deadlift (147.5 kg) in her 90-plus kilogram weight class. Back Alley’s Angela Lewis also set a world record, hers coming in bench press. Lewis, in the same age group as Lei but the 75 kg weight division, pushed 85 kg —the biggest bench press of any woman at the competition regardless of division. Sarah Skinner and Kieran Claypool of Back Alley also competed and set personal bests in each of their events. There was a Raw-branded event in Medicine Hat in February, and the next one is going to be a national championship in August, also at Temple Fitness. 11