The achievement of an athlete from Orsha has been included in the Guinness Book of Records

Sergey Shirkevich is a well-known figure in his hometown of Orsha. This extraordinary man is respected, and his athletic achievements are held up as an example for aspiring athletes in Vitebsk, Minsk, and Moscow. And there is indeed something to admire. Not everyone at the age of 60 meets the master of sports standard in powerlifting by bench-pressing a 145-kilogram barbell, and at 62 receives a Guinness World Records certificate!

Six years ago, Sergey Vladimirovich received a disappointing diagnosis – neural amyotrophy – and was given a third-degree disability. Looking at the self-assured man with a powerful torso and a firm handshake, one would never guess his serious health problems. However, it was precisely when his legs, from the knees to the feet, began to thin as if completely devoid of muscles, that Sergey Shirkevich seriously took up powerlifting and CrossFit. The illness made itself seriously known after the age of 50, but his legs had ached since childhood, making it difficult to get up in the mornings. He endured, walked it off, did exercises – he refused to acknowledge his ailment, constantly proving, primarily to himself, that he was fine.

Sergey Shirkevich's mother was deaf-mute, and he never knew his father. He went through his first school of life at an orphanage in Orsha. It was then, against all odds, that he became interested in strength sports, tennis, and football. He dreamed of becoming a lawyer. However, after passing his university entrance exams, he did not pass the competition and returned to Orsha. He trained at a driving school and worked as a driver for over 30 years.

“I seriously took up athletic gymnastics around the age of 30,” says the athlete. “I regularly went to the gym, or as it used to be called, the ‘iron house’. Later, I accidentally came across an article about a Moscow pensioner, a biologist named Goldman. It turned out that this remarkable, strong-willed man, at the age of seventy-five, could lift 165 kilograms. The publication gave me new impetus, became a stimulus for action. I firmly decided to reach his level. I acquired a lot of literature, video materials, and started powerlifting.”

When this sport became a Paralympic sport, Sergey Vladimirovich chose the specialization "bench press". Living in a private house, he equipped a gym in his attic. Based on the methods of famous athletes, he developed his own training and nutrition system.

When he learned that veteran tournaments were being held in our country, he enthusiastically took up the cause. In 2009, he first competed in the Championship of the Republic of Belarus in powerlifting for people with musculoskeletal disorders. He took first place, lifting 130 kilograms and fulfilling the standard for Candidate Master of Sport.

Since then, Sergey Vladimirovich has continued to compete in the 60 to 69 age category, taking only prize-winning places in competitions.

In 2012, he won the next national championship in Brest. He fulfilled the standard for Master of Sport – in the final attempt, he lifted a barbell weighing 145 kg. A year later, the leadership of the Federation of the Strongest Athletes of Russia invited the Belarusian athlete to Moscow to participate in the competition for the Valentin Dikul Cup. And at the "Bogatyrsky Press" tournament, the Orsha resident took third place.

After a successful performance in Moscow, Sergey Shirkevich decided to experiment: he took up CrossFit in three powerlifting movements. In other words, in the minimum time, one needs to squat, bench press, and deadlift a 100-kilogram barbell. The first performance, at the invitation of the weekly newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty" , took place in the summer of last year at the medical center "Nordin". In 3 minutes and 11 seconds, Sergey Shirkevich squatted 15 times with a 100 kg barbell, bench pressed 12 times, and deadlifted 12 times. The total tonnage of the lifted weight was 3 tons 900 kg! This record is nominated for inclusion in the book of records of the Baltic States and the CIS "Divo" as the oldest achievement in the post-Soviet space.

And quite recently, on July 26, the Orsha athlete once again became an honorary participant of the tournament "Slavic Bogatyrstvo" in Moscow, where in 2 minutes and 11 seconds he squatted 12 times, bench pressed the same amount, and deadlifted a 100-kilogram barbell 15 times. At the demonstration performances of the 2nd stage of the tournament, the Orsha athlete performed three powerlifting exercises without stops, with 15 repetitions each with a 105-kilogram barbell. The total weight is 4 tons 725 kg! This result has been submitted to the Russian committee for registering world records.

During the demonstration performances at the 2nd World Kettlebell Triathlon Olympiad, which took place on August 14 in Vitebsk, Sergey Vladimirovich greatly surprised a representative of the Guinness Book of Records from Great Britain. In 1 minute and 45 seconds, the athlete performed three exercises without stops, 10 repetitions each. As a result, he received a certificate confirming a new record (in the age category 60-69 years) and well-deserved awards.

In addition to a large number of medals and certificates in powerlifting, the Orsha resident has many awards in table tennis competitions. In July, Sergey Shirkevich won a "bronze" at the open championship of Belarus in Vitebsk.

The strongman from Orsha is not alone in his hobbies. Recently, he has acquired a student – 40-year-old wheelchair user Anatoly Gronsky, who has even surpassed his mentor in table tennis. At the same championship, he fulfilled the candidate master of sports norm and became the first! The men train together, practice various techniques, and make plans for the future. For example, on October 10, as part of the team, they will represent the Vitebsk region at the republican sports festival "Autumn Foliage", which will be held in Brest.

P. S. Sergey Shirkevich and Anatoly Gronsky express their sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Orsha District Executive Committee and the administration of the Ice Arena for the opportunity to use the gym, sports halls, and premises of the Babinichi physical culture and sports club of the education, sports, and tourism department of the district executive committee free of charge.

Olga Lebedeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"