DRAMMEN, Norway — Mitchell’s Rickey Nelsen competed at the International Powerlifting Federation World Classic Bench Press Championship on Tuesday in Norway, finishing in sixth place in his division.
Nelsen, who was competing in the 66-kilogram Master 1 weight class, had two successful lifts at 120 kilograms (264.55 pounds) and then at 127.5 kilograms (281 pounds), before failing to complete his third lift at 137.5 kilograms, or 303 pounds.
The 43-year-old was competing in the world championships for the first time. He won the Powerlifting America Bench Press Nationals championship for his division in February in New Orleans. At that time, he set the South Dakota state record with a raw bench press of 127.5 kilograms.
The third lift on Tuesday would have given Nelsen a new personal best and state record and put him in the mix for a world championships medal.
The division was won by Iran’s Hamid Karimi, who had a top lift of 160 kilograms. Silver went to Lars Lund, of Denmark, who lifted 137.5 kilograms and Christian Beckmann, of Germany, earned bronze at 137.5 kilograms, with Lund having the lower weight advantage.
More than 1,400 athletes are taking part in the world championships, which run through May 24.
Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.