{"id":9330,"date":"2026-01-13T12:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T12:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=9330"},"modified":"2026-01-13T12:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T12:53:12","slug":"st-tammany-powerlifters-dominate-at-ipf-world-championships-st-tammany-community-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=9330","title":{"rendered":"St. Tammany powerlifters dominate at IPF World Championships | St. Tammany community news"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Fifty-five countries competed at the 2025 International Powerlifting Federation World Championships held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 26-Sept. 5, and once again, St. Tammany Parish was well represented.<\/p>\n

Two local lifters claimed\u00a0Equipped Sub-Junior World Championships (14-18 age group), while the U.S. team won the men’s and women’s team titles.<\/p>\n

Covington High coach John Burford served\u00a0as the U.S. team head coach for the third year, having been affiliated with the International Powerlifting Federation since 2012.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m extremely proud of our lifters\u2019 tremendous performance representing\u00a0the state and our country. They were mentally focused and did an exceptional job, competing against the absolute best,” Burford said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Our goal is to improve and take more athletes to\u00a0the Worlds. We’ve been able to do\u00a0that in recent years, and our teams are getting better and in some cases more dominant. I’m really excited about the direction we’re moving in.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Covington senior Brett Falco excelled in his first Worlds appearance, becoming an Equipped Sub-Junior World Champion at 145 pounds. He established\u00a0two new personal\u00a0bests along the way. Falco squatted 562 pounds, benched 396 (new PR) and deadlifted 523, establishing a new PR, for lifts totaling 1,482 pounds.<\/p>\n

Falco talked about gaining some redemption by competing against his nemesis from last year\u2019s LHSAA state championship. Dutchtown\u2019s\u00a0Joshua Thompson edged him by a mere five pounds at last year\u2019s state championship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It was definitely redemption for me. My preparation for Worlds was all about facing him in a rematch. That’s all I thought\u00a0about heading to Costa Rica. I knew I’d\u00a0have to be at my best, and he brought\u00a0out\u00a0the best in\u00a0me. I was expecting tough competition, and that’s what I faced,” Falco said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We were going back-and-forth, and I knew what I needed to keep my lead. The bench is my\u00a0favorite, and it’s my best lift. I like loading up as much weight as I can,\u00a0making a good lift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Falco said if given the chance, he’d like to defend his title at Worlds next year,\u00a0but now he is focused on preparing for the state meet in March.<\/p>\n

“It’s off-season, but I’m already training, preparing for state,\u00a0lifting five days a week,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I graduate, I’ve decided to stop lifting to focus on whatever my future may hold for me. I know I’ll miss lifting and competing, but that’s my decision.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Covington grad Nick Calidonia garnered a second-place finish, while CHS grad JT Sylvera, the defending 130-pound world champion, took third place.<\/p>\n

Northshore High senior Jackson\u00a0Bice, the defending 163-pound world\u00a0champion, settled for second place this year.<\/p>\n

Bice established a new world squat record with a lift of 634 pounds, bettering the previous mark by a single pound. He bench pressed 363 (matching his PR), and closed with an impressive deadlift of 562, establishing a new PR by six pounds. Bice totaled 1,560 pounds, also establishing a new PR by 80 pounds.<\/p>\n

“Breaking the world record in the squat is something I’ve been working for,\u00a0and I knew it was in reach. Having my name on the world board is an\u00a0extremely\u00a0special accomplishment,\u00a0beating a Russian lifter is also kind of cool,” Bice said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“From start to finish, I had an exceptional\u00a0day. I started off hot and was on a roll. I had the momentum, and I loved the numbers I put up. When you’re lifting, regardless of the event, the opponent is really just yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the female competition, Mandeville senior Sara Reffit, a first-time competitor, became a Sub-Junior World Champion at 152 pounds. Refit posted lifts totaling 1,036 pounds \u2014 squatting 430, benching 237 and finishing with a deadlift of 370.<\/p>\n

“Going to Costa Rica with only about six months of training, I didn’t set any expectations, not knowing what it might be like. At first, I was experiencing anxiety, but what\u00a0an\u00a0insanely rewarding experience it ended up being for me,” Reffit said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“I had a 30 to 40 pound lead heading to the deadlift, so I felt pretty good since that’s a strong lift for me. Powerlifting has become a big part of my life and provides me with a coping\u00a0mechanism. The gym just feels like home.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two other Covington High grads competed in Costa Rica after lifting at last year’s Worlds in Malta. Kaylee Robin, runner-up last year, overcame some technical\u00a0issues, settling for another runner-up finish at 167, while teammate Lila Cooper, who was also second last year, garnered a fourth-place finish in the 138-pound weight class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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Fifty-five countries competed at the 2025 International Powerlifting Federation World Championships held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 26-Sept. 5, and once again, St. Tammany Parish was well represented. Two local lifters claimed\u00a0Equipped Sub-Junior World Championships (14-18 age group), while the U.S. team won the men’s and women’s team titles. Covington High coach John […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":9331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-powerlifting-news"},"yoast_head":"\nSt. Tammany powerlifters dominate at IPF World Championships | St. Tammany community news - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fifty-five countries competed at the 2025 International Powerlifting Federation World Championships held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 26-Sept. 5, and once again, St. Tammany Parish was well represented.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=9330\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St. Tammany powerlifters dominate at IPF World Championships | St. Tammany community news - 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