SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL - Not everyone can lift nearly a ton, but Iqaluit's Daniel Young can make that boast.

Iqaluit's Daniel Young performs a squat of 285 kg at the World Junior Powerlifting Championships in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Sept. 10. - photo courtesy of Daniel Young

Young was part of the Canadian team which competed at the World Junior Powerlifting Championships in Sao Paolo, Brazil, from Sept. 6 to 13.

Young managed a seventh-place finish in the 82.5 kg category with a combined lift of 705 kg, or 1,551 pounds, over three events. Young's best lifts included a squat of 285 kg, a bench press of 170 kg and 250 kg in the deadlift. Still, Young, who currently attends the University of Guelph in Ontario, said it wasn't his best performance.

"I was a little disappointed with my deadlift," he said. "I felt I could've done a little more with that."

Deadlift problems aside, the 23-year-old set some new Canadian records. His squat total set the new mark, as did his total weight lifted. Young said that's impressive because of the level of talent in his division.

"In the 82.5 kg weight class, you get some of the best lifters from around the world, period," he said. "You have guys in there who have set world records and it tends to be a very deep talent pool."

Young was given two hours to perform all three categories of lifts, three attempts in each one. Young said before he was allowed to hit the weights, he had to drop some pounds.

"I had to lose a little before getting out there and that may have affected me a little bit," he said. Daniel's father, Terry Young, himself a former world powerlifting champion in 1995, has coached his son in the past. He said Daniel's training regimen is very strict.

"He usually trains up to three hours a day, four days a week," he said. "He does a lot of work on his cardio and other general stuff relating to powerlifting."

Daniel's future plans are to keep going in powerlifting, but Terry Young said his son is still a little green in the sport.

"When he goes up, it will take some time for him to develop," he said. "Most powerlifters usually have about 10 or 15 years of good lifting and if Daniel keeps things up, he should be at that level as well."

Daniel said he's looking forward to going into the open division, but he wants one more crack at a junior event before the end of the calendar year.

"I'm not sure where it will be, but I am planning on it," he said.