At 74 years old, Guyanese powerlifter Frank Tucker delivered a memorable performance on his World Masters Championships debut, collecting four medals and breaking three South American records in Reno, Nevada, USA.
Competing in the 93kg Masters 4 division of the 2026 International Powerlifting Federation World Masters Championships, Tucker secured three silver medals and a bronze while successfully completing all nine of his lifts.
His performance was highlighted by records of 115kg in the squat, 157.5kg in the deadlift and a combined total of 352.5kg.
Tucker began his squat competition with an 80kg lift before making a significant increase to 107.5kg on his second attempt. That effort broke the previous continental record of 105kg, held by Argentina’s Vera Angel.
He then raised the mark to 115kg on his final attempt, earning silver in the process.
The Guyanese athlete added bronze in the bench press with a best effort of 80kg before returning to secure silver in the deadlift with his record-breaking 157.5kg lift.
His combined total of 352.5kg earned him another silver medal and completed an outstanding opening day for Guyana.
However, Tucker was unable to secure gold as American Robert Moore won the overall title, along with gold medals in the squat and bench press.
Another American, Phillip Rosenstern, won the deadlift and took silver in the bench press. However, he was unable to register an overall total after failing all three squat attempts.
In the team competition, Guyana placed seventh out of 10 countries in the Masters 4 division, finishing ahead of Spain, India and Australia. The United States secured first place.
Tucker will have another opportunity to compete for medals when he returns for the equipped competition next week.
Meanwhile, Roger Rogers will be the next Guyanese athlete in action when he competes in the 120kg Masters 2 category on Sunday. He will face seven competitors from six nations.
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