Ortwein and Tortorelli compete in Las Vegas
”
Lift your head,
”
screamed fans at Chuck Ortwein at the World Bench Press and
Deadlift Championships in Las Vegas last week.
The 47-year-old was in the middle of lifting 551 pounds
– a personal record for Ortwein – and although he probably
couldn’t lift much of anything else at that moment, fans and judges
wanted him to lift his head.
Ortwein and Tortorelli compete in Las Vegas
“Lift your head,” screamed fans at Chuck Ortwein at the World Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Las Vegas last week.
The 47-year-old was in the middle of lifting 551 pounds – a personal record for Ortwein – and although he probably couldn’t lift much of anything else at that moment, fans and judges wanted him to lift his head.
“The judge said lift your head,” Ortwein said. “I lifted my head and the weight just went right up … I was surprised how light the weight felt.”
Ortwein, a former Hollister resident who moved to Texas six weeks ago, took second place in the 47- to 53-year-old Masters Class at the WABDL World Championships recently, lifting roughly 2.5 times his own body weight.
“It was pretty cool,” said Ortwein, who’s only in his first year of competition. “That was the first time I tried (lifting 551 pounds), and I got it up.”
First place went to a man who lifted 620 pounds.
“I’ve got about a year before I can try a 600-pound lift,” Ortwein said. “But I’m very happy with my first year in lifting.”
Lifting 600 pounds is a bit of a warm-up for Ortwein’s mentor, Al Tortorelli of Hollister. Tortorelli, 41, took second in the 40- to 46-year-old Masters Class when he lifted 633 pounds, falling just 10 pounds short of the first-place competitor.
“It’s like a chess game,” Tortorelli said. “You go and then he goes and you don’t know what’s next. I should have planned it better.
“You don’t know what the next guy is gonna lift. I should have pulled 644 (pounds) on my last lift. But hey, that’s the way the weight bounces.”
The weight, 633 pounds, was not a personal record for Tortorelli, who has raised 644 pounds before.
“I could have done it,” Tortorelli said. “It may have been ugly, but I would have done it.”
Tortorelli said he held back this year after tweaking his back, but he plans on raising the bar close to 700 pounds sometime next year.
“Keep moving up,” he said.
Hollister’s Ray Perez, who is the state record holder in Class I at 501 pounds, finished sixth in his division when he lifted 540 pounds.
It is Perez’ first year of competition as well.
The WABDL World Championships brought together some 15 nations and 565 lifters from countries like India, Estonia, Sweden, Brazil, New Zealand and Finland, where powerlifting and strong man competitions are the national sport, Ortwein said.
“It was truly a world competition,” Ortwein added.
Tortorelli, who’s been in the game for six years now, noted the powerlifting prowess of one man at the World Championships, a 75-year-old from Finland who weighed just 165 pounds.
The Finnish man lifted 507 pounds, or more than three times his body weight.’
Said Tortorelli, “That’s what keeps me inspired.”
