SQUAT
1st Attempts
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Clean 410kg for Eric Lilliebridge
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Malanichev walks out shaky and squats an even shakier 450kg with an uncharacteristically obvious sticking point
2nd Attempts
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Easy 455kg for Eric Lilliebridge
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Malanichev selects 470kg and it moves faster and cleaner, with barely perceptible slow down, than his first attempt
https://instagram.com/p/BaQKGXhH4d7/
3rd Attempts
Lilliebridge looks to snatch first from Malanichev with an ambitious 480kg attempts. Descends and drives up. More than enough speed to finish to the lift as he blasts up out of the hole.
He slows but it’s not enough to stop the American.
Everyone present feels a roaring cheer build up.
Instead a collectively groan as Eric Lilliebridge misses a seemingly guaranteed squat losing balance forwards. Excruciatingly close to taking the lead
Malanichev true to form asks for 490kg. Another five kilogram squat PR on last year’s 485 is loaded onto the bar and the big Russian steps up. The walk out is shaky but with a breath he braces until all is still. In characteristic fashion he drives out of the hole.
It’s the first squat all over again as he seems to hit the biggest sticking point in history. He tries to grind thru but no one grinds thru 490kg not even Malanichev. Things haven’t seemed to go to plan for the Russian with a grindy sticky first attempt sapping his energy and his other squats looking “off”.
https://instagram.com/p/BaQPtsYjBJI/
The contest seems to have opened up. With squats not going to plan Malanichev, not the biggest bencher around, gives the other lifters a chance to make up ground.