HEIDELBERG, Germany — Two lifters and the Ramstein team made the most of their chances Saturday in the U.S. Military National Powerlifting Men’s and Women’s Championships — held at a European venue for the first time.

Rhonda Clark of Fort Hood, Texas, a reigning U.S. national seniors champion at 165 pounds, collected her fourth military record in the deadlift, raising 195 kilograms — 429 pounds — from the floor to her waist on her second try in the event to give her a three-lift total of 946.5 pounds.

And the only person in the Patton Barracks gym who was not impressed was Clark, who competed Saturday in the 181-pound division.

“I’m a better deadlifter at 148 than I am at 181,” she said, “but [her teammates] were teasing me that since I held the record for 132, 148 and 165 pounds, I ought to go for 181 and have them all.”

Even that sweep failed to impress Clark.

“Put me at 148, and I’ll set records all day,” she said. “I’m a natural deadlifter. I have long arms, a short trunk and flexible hips.”

Clark, chosen outstanding female lifter of the meet, used her record lift to claim gold medals in the 181 open and masters divisions.

But it wasn’t enough for the Fort Hood Phantom Corps team to claim its 12th military team title in 13 years. U.S. Forces-Europe champion Ramstein finished the competition with 90 points, four more than the Texas-based lifters, who had to settle for second.

Horace Youson of Ramstein added the U.S. national military gold medal at 165 pounds to the U.S. Forces-Europe championship he won on the same floor last month. He said Ramstein used a team concept to win the title.

“We work out together three or four mornings a week,” Youson said. “It really helps.”

Youson was one of five Ramstein lifters winning gold medals on Saturday.

The others were 181-pounder Jimmy Scott and 220-pound king Troy Saunders, who, like Youson, are holders of 2005 U.S. Forces Europe titles; 242-pound champ Derrick Baldwin, second at that weight to teammate Robin Riley in the USFE meet; and 275-pounder Willie Williams, third in the USFE meet behind a pair of Grafenwöhr performers who did not compete here.

Riley did compete Saturday and elevated the most mass of any lifter, 600.75 pounds in the deadlift, before passing on further attempts because of a sore back. A zero in the bench press ruined his hopes.

Ramstein’s U.S. Forces 181-pound champion Samuel Strohman, second in the category here, nonetheless was chosen outstanding lifter in the juniors division. Saunders and Scott won outstanding lifter trophies in their weight classes.

Joining them as an outstanding lifter was 165-pound masters king Carlos Lewis of Fort Gordon, Ga. Lewis was a 2002 national champion and 2003 national military champion before spending 2004 in Iraq.

The heaviest one-event lift of the afternoon went to Ramstein’s Scott, who squatted 617.25 pounds in the first of the three lifts.

U.S. Military National Powerlifting Men’s & Women’s Championships

HEIDELBERG, Germany — Top finishers in the 2005 U.S. Military National Powerlifting Men’s and Women’s Championships on Saturday. Results are in kilograms and are for squat, bench, deadlift and total.

Women

Open

148 pounds: Tracey Briggs, Heidelberg, 62.5, 52.5, 85.0=200.0

165 pounds: Karen Youngblood, Ft. Hood, Texas, 100.0, 0.0, 120.0=220.0

181 pounds: Rhonda Clark, Ft. Hood, 155.0, 87.5, 195.0=437.5; Rebekah Lair, Ft. Meade, Md., 130, 80.0, 137.5=347.5; Shy Petrina, Mannheim, Germany, 80.0, 70.0, 107.5=257.5

Men

Open

165 pounds: Horace Youson, Ramstein AB, Germany, 232.5, 152.5, 217.5=602.5; Kenyatta Wilson, Ramstein, 145, 117.5, 192.5=455; Albert Montgomery, Heidelberg, Germany, 140, 132.5, 182.5=455

181 pounds: David Emeott, SHAPE, Belgium, 197.5, 140, 215=552.5; Samuel Stroman, Ramstein, 175, 157.5, 192.5=525.

198 pounds: Jimmy Scott, Ramstein, 255, 187.5, 272.5=715; Kurt Mattison, Ramstein, 230, 177.5, 220=627.5; Brandon Hutson, Vicenza, Italy, 185, 182.5, 230=597.5

220 pounds: Troy Saunders, Ramstein, 260, 185.5, 247.5=692.5; Robert Geyer, Ft. Hood, 207.5, 132.5, 210=550; Darren Dent, Ft. Hood, 200, 127.5, 190=517.5

Juniors

198 pounds: Donald Collier, Ft. Hood, 197.5, 170.0, 220=587.5

Masters

165 pounds: Carlos Lewis, Ft. Gordon, Ga., 230, 150, 225=605.0

220 pounds: Cliff Mannis, San Antonio, Texas, 170, 137.5, 235=542.5

242 pounds: Derrick Baldwin, Ramstein, 227.5, 185, 232.5=645; Erik Hoskinson, Illesheim, Germany, 182.5, 192.5, 205=580; Fred Lehman, Heidelberg, 182.5, 182.5, 210=575.5

275 pounds: Willie Williams, Ramstein, 237.5, 165, 250=652.5

Outstanding lifters

Women: Rhonda Clark, Ft. Hood.

Men: Lightweight: Jimmy Scott, Ramstein; heavyweight: Troy Saunders, Ramstein; Master lightweight: Carlos Lewis, Ft. Gordon; Master heavyweight: Curt Mattison, Ramstein; Junior lightweight: Samuel Stroman, Ramstein; Junior heavyweight, Donald Collier, Ft. Hood.

Migrated