SANTIAGO, Chile — Compared to when Bobby Body or other powerlifters come out and play into the crowd, Garrison Redd comes out with a focused face from the get go. On his second attempt in the Men’s Up to 65 kg para powerlifting competition, Garrison quickly acknowledged his mom, Laura, who had come to see him compete for the first time, and his Team USA teammates.

He then turned and faced his attention to the barbell. All 130 kilograms were loaded up as Redd mounted himself onto the bench and laid down. His coach strapped him in, Redd adjusted his back, and grabbed the barbell.

Bringing the barbell to his chest, Redd accelerated the weight up for a valid lift, matching his competition personal record. He gave a small fist bump in celebration and his mom and teammates cheered him on. Despite matching his personal record, Redd failed to medal against a tough slate of competition, placing sixth in his event.

“My goal is always to get at least one lift in, which I did,” Redd said. “I matched my personal best. That’s something to be happy for.”

In the first round, Redd had to be ambitious. Mexico’s Miguel Mijangos Velasquez successfully lifted 127 kilograms before him and would only attempt go up from there. 130 kilograms sat on the barbell, and Redd brought the weight down, but shortly on the way up his arms weren’t steady and he couldn’t keep the barbell level. His left arm was a bit lower than his right— and even though he racked it, the crowd, and Redd, knew it was going to be a no lift due to the press sequence.

To make it even tougher for him to have a chance to medal, all four other competitors earned a good lift, with the highest weight being a Parapan American Games record of 185 kilograms from home crowd favorite— Chile’s Jorge Carinao. 

In his second round, Redd was able to secure the good lift and get on the board with 130 kilograms, but his competitors were all a step above and posted higher weights. Thus, in the third round hoping to build off his momentum from matching his personal record, Redd added five kilograms to place above Mijangos Velasquez.

Redd, with his mom filming the whole thing, visibly gave everything into the effort. But the fatigue from the first two lifts were evident and Redd required spotters to help him finish the bench press. Still, the crowd applauded his effort and Redd, per usual, maintained a positive attitude about his performance, already talking about getting back into the gym to improve upon what held him back in the Parapan American Games.

“Even when I don’t hit my marks I know what I need to work on,” Redd said. “Once I review the video I’ll know what I need to work on for 2024. I have to get stronger and I’m going to keep working hard.”

For photos of this event, visit here