Stephen ‘Superheavy’ Wamalwa, a 32-year-old Kenyan weightlifter and reigning national champion, is intensifying his training as he sets his sights on the upcoming World Championship later this year.
Ranked third in Africa, Wamalwa faces tough competition from a Moroccan opponent holding the African record of 380 kg and a Ghanaian with a record of 370 kg, while Wamalwa himself has lifted 365 kg.
Having originally started with rugby before transitioning to weightlifting, Wamalwa is driven by a childhood passion for lifting heavy objects and aims to fulfill his dreams by breaking records on the world stage. With aspirations to surpass the 390 kg mark, he is gearing up for the upcoming competition, scheduled for next month at a yet-to-be-announced venue.
Challenging him domestically is Christopher “3-in-1” Oketch, whose national record of 370 kg, set in 2019, poses a significant hurdle for Wamalwa. Oketch, a two-time winner of Kenya’s Strongest Man in 2018 and 2019, shares a competitive history with Wamalwa, who himself boasts two victories in the Kenya Strongest Man competition in 2015 and 2016.
As Wamalwa focuses on his training regimen and prepares to represent Kenya on the global stage, the weightlifting community eagerly anticipates his performance and the potential for new records to be shattered.
