MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- For hundreds of years warriors and athletes have competed in events that put their strength and endurance to the test.
They competed against themselves and each other, pushing their bodies and will to the limit.
In the same spirit as those competitors hundreds of years before them, local community members gathered to compete in the 2010 Open Bench Press Competition held at the IronWorks Gym here March 20.
Sixteen Japanese and American athletes came out to the gym ready to display their strength at the bench press.
In the end, Shuji Goto was declared the male overall winner of the competition, pressing 485 pounds.
Vickie Feyedelem was declared the female overall winner, pressing 132 pounds.
Brian Wilson, IronWorks Gym assistant athletics director, said the competition was a great thing, which brought out a good crowd of spectators and competitors.
During the event, competitors would lie flat on the bench and hold the bar loaded with weights straight out at arms length from their body and lower it to their chest when they received the signal from the judge.
Once they lowered the bar to their chest, they kept it there motionless until the judge gave the command to press.
After the signal to start was given, competitors would press the bar upward until their arms were straight and hold it motionless until the command to rack the bar was given.
Competitors were disqualified if they heaved, bounced the bar off their chest, or lifted their feet or back off the bench as they pressed the bar upward.
One by one, each competitor was called up to the bench to display his or her strength in front of a crowd of people who gathered to watch the event.
“I think (the competition) is a great thing to have because it gives the military members a chance to come here and compete against some pretty well-known Japanese competitors,” said Wilson. “It brings two countries together for one sporting event.”
Each time competitors approached the bench, a little more weight was added to the bar until they reached their limit and began to buckle their arms under the weight.
The surrounding crowd would cheer and clap their hands in approval as each competitor took the stage and successfully pressed the given weight.
As the competition wore on during the day, one by one, each athlete was eliminated with Goto and Feyedelem emerging from the 16 participants as the winners.
This was the third time Feyedelem competed in a bench press competition.Feyedelem said she considers herself a very competitive person who likes to see how much she can push herself and lift.
“Some competition is always good whether you’re up against somebody else or just within yourself,” said Feyedelem.
The crowd, which gathered to watch the competition, broke away once the medals and trophies were passed out to the winners.
As the competitors walked away from the gym, many were already thinking about the next competition scheduled April 10.
Many of the competitors said they’d be there and were looking forward to it.