Thanks to high finishes at the recent world championships, Eleni Guerrera recently added even more significant power-lifting medals to her already impressive collection.
The Yorktown High School senior earned four individual medals – three silvers and one bronze – in her Sub Junior (ages 14-18) 125-pound weight category at the world power lifting championships held in August in Romania.
In addition, her effort helped Team USA win the Sub Junior women’s gold medal.
In just one day of competition, Guerrera earned silver medals in the all-around, squat and dead lift events, plus a bronze in the bench. She set two world records in the dead lift of 360 and 381 pounds, before the winner won with a record 382 total.
“One of my goals was to set world records,” Guerrera said.
Guerrera’s best lift in the squat was 298 pounds. Her best bench press was 160.
“It was definitely a successful trip and a life-changing experience,” Guerrera said. “The sport of power lifting is a very supportive community. We all have the same passions and cheer for each other. It was really cool to walk around and see lifters from so many different countries.”
In early April, Guerrera finished first in the all-around national championships to qualify for the world championships for the first time. A few months earlier, she won state titles.
Guerrera only began power lifting during the COVID quarantine time frame during 2020. Once she discovered the sport, she quickly became enchanted with the activity.
At Yorktown, Guerrera was a member of last spring’s girls tennis team and previously played for the school’s girls softball team.
