After a year of waiting, Quesnel’s powerlifting couple, Anthony Faggiani and Shalynn McCauley will be back in major competition later this month.
The duo will be travelling to Illinois to compete at the World Powerlifting Congress World Championships from Oct. 24-27.
It’s the top competition for their chosen federation.
“We like getting out there and getting the experience,” Faggiani said. “You have to structure your training a little different, but it’s been a good time to take a step back and focus on things that need some work and attention.”
Faggiani and McCauley competed in five events last year. They’ve been shut out of major competitions in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Quesnel’s powerlifting couple is stronger together
The event in Illinois will look a lot different to a local competition Faggiani was at in Prince George earlier this year.
That event had no spectators allowed, competitors masked up when they were not lifting, and distanced themselves as much as possible. That won’t be the case at world championships.
“This event, I’ve been told there won’t be many changes,” he said. “Where we’re going, they’re a little bit more lax on things. I understand there’s going to be spectators and everything like that.”
Faggiani is cautious about travelling, but a 16-week training program means he’s ready to compete despite the risks.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “When you have that much time invested in one event, the other stuff surrounding it is something we just have to deal with to get to the end result.”
While their event schedule has changed, thanks to a solid home gym set up and working closely with each other, Faggiani and McCauley haven’t skipped a beat in their training.
“If she’s having an off day, or a day she’s not feeling up to training, but I’m ready to go, I can drag her along, and vice-versa,” Faggiani said. “When she’s geared up and I’m just dragging my ass from getting home from a 12-hour day at work, we still go train.”
Faggiani took the opportunity from a pandemic-induced lack of events to change styles. In the past, he’s competed in ‘raw,’ where lifters are only allowed minimal supportive equipment. At this event he’ll be competing in a division called ‘multiply,’ which allows much more equipment, to allow lifters to take on heavier weights.
“The best analogy I’ve heard is like high jump versus pole jump,” Faggiani said of the differences between the two disciplines. “Both have the same goal — to get as high as you can — but there’s a different aspect to it.”
Faggiani said despite battling some nagging injuries, he’s hoping to lift more than 900 pounds in the squat and more than 600 in the bench press and dead lift.
READ MORE: Quesnel’s powerlifting pair prevail in Windy City
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
@GimliJetsMan
cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
