WHEN Australian powerlifting champion Florian Loock began preparing to try to break a world record this year, he enjoyed the support of his mate and gym business partner, among others.
That was until two weeks ago.
At the bottom of a cliff they found the body of his mate, former St George Illawarra rugby league junior representative Ben Azzopardi, 24 of Caringbah.
"It shocked me and so many others," said the German-born champion, looking around the Ultimate Training Gym at Kirrawee that both men ran, and adorned with trophies, ribbons and photos of them with famous sportsmen.
"Ben was not only my business partner but also one of my best mates. He did it tough, I know that, after a bad shoulder injury wrecked his promising league career a few years ago.
"But he seemed happy to all of us. I know he was as excited as I was about my record attempt. So his death hit me like nothing ever before in life."
In the depth of despair, Loock was in no mood to continue training for his world record attempt but he was convinced to try, by his own trainer.
German-born Loock, 32, a six-time national champion and Oceania and Commonwealth record-holder and the best overall best bench press athlete in the country in the past two years, had worked for almost four years to achieve his goal in the drug-tested International Powerlifting Federation.
And so it was to be. On the weekend in Melbourne, Loock managed to come close to the record but missed with his second-last attempt.
Wearing his late friend's training shoes for good luck, Loock went for the record with his third and final attempt and with a massive show of strength, managed to become the first Australian to break an open world record for the bench press, lifting a colossal 220.5 kilograms.
The lift broke the under 105 kilogram world record by .5 kilograms but before he could rise from the bench, Loock swore he heard a voice congratulate him. "I heard 'Knew you could do it mate'," Loock said. "I know it was Ben's voice ... and I thanked him."
