Johnny completed a 75kg deadlift on his first attempt and quickly followed that with an 82.5kg one.
When Johnny then completed the 90kg lift, Jones said the room was ecstatic to have seen the achievement.
“It’s awesome, people love that stuff, man. Powerlifting and the powerlifting community is amazing and when we see stuff like that occurring, it’s fantastic.”
Johnny’s father, who told the Herald he was “super proud” of his son’s achievement, helps his son to train in six-week blocks before competition The pair had a relaxed preparation on the day of the event.
“On the day it was… a good feed in the morning and then just warming up,” he said.
“Obviously there’s a lot going on on those days. He said he was nervous and I told him that’s when I lift the best, so I told him it’s a good thing – and he just did three lifts.”
Jones said a 12-year-old girl was able to complete a 50kg squat, 30kg bench press and 60kg deadlift at the same competition and was optimistic about how achievements like these can help the future of powerlifting in New Zealand.
“More and more young people… largely teenagers, are getting into powerlifting really early, which is fantastic for the sport.
“And then we have that next step, which is people like Johnny becoming aware of powerlifting as a sport and an avenue.”
Johnny will focus mostly on rugby over the winter, but has his sights set on lifting 100kg before the end of the year.
“He wants to compete in World’s Strongest Man competitions one day, so we’ll see how he goes,” his dad said.
“I can’t wait to see what he can do when he’s in his teenage years and once he’s a grown man; it’ll be cool to watch.”
