Delight for Telford's Dan Chepa at world glory and charity success
Ukrainian powerlifter Danylo Chepa delivered on his world glory bid as he was crowned champion for a third time.
Chepa, from Muxton in Telford, claimed gold in the WDFPF World Bench Press Championship in France – a competition he entered to raise funds and awareness for Elle’s Angels charity.
It was a third world crown for Chepa, who has lived in Telford for almost 20 years and represented Great Britain, after previous titles in 2013 and 2018.
His success is all the more remarkable due to losing time training in the gym due to a rescue mission to Poland, where the powerlifting athlete travelled to rescue six members of friends and family who had fled war-torn Ukraine.
It transpired, however, that a third and final bench of 172kg was enough to land the Telford lifter the spot at the top of the podium.
“It did not go fully to plan,” explained Chepa, whose travel to France was delayed due to the volume of Liverpool supporters heading to the Champions League final.
“I learned all of the Liverpool chants by the end of the journey!
“In competition previously you put a first weight in which can change, but there was a new rule that you can only increase that by 20kg.”
Chepa lifted 155kg in his first attempt, to put him third in the rankings in the -90kg weight category.
But he failed with a lift of 170kg in his second of three attempts, a technical error which saw him drop out of the medal positions.
Which meant success rested on Chepa’s third effort and he successfully benched 172kg – shy of what he had managed in training weeks earlier – which proved enough for gold.
He added: “I did 175kg in the warm-up and lifted 180 a few weeks earlier.
“But it’s not always about not lifting the weight, it’s about technical errors from the three referees.
“One found a technical error with my 172kg winning lift but luckily two gave the green light and that was OK.”
Chepa has been world champion twice before and he admitted the feeling was one of ‘job done’.
“To be honest I was feeling in a normal way,” he added. “Because I’d won it before twice there was not really that great buzz.
“It was very well organised and arranged on what was a very hot weekend.”
He next turns his attention to September’s European Championships closer to home, in Buckinghamshire, which he has not previously won.
Chepa was fundraising and raising awareness for West Midlands charity Elle’s Angels, who care for parents and families of disabled children, in ode to former training partner Greg, whose four-year-old daughter Julia is under their care.
He smashed his initial target and the total now stands at £1,245.
The charity have thanked Chepa for his work and the powerlifter added: “I’m so grateful to people who have donated. Every penny and pound counts so thank you to everybody.”
To support Elle’s Angels, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dan-chepa4
