WATCH: Aviemore’s Joel Aragoneses is the strongest teen in the world
What does it feel like to be the strongest teenager in the world?
Modest 18-year old Joel Aragoneses just shrugs his rather broad shoulders and laughs it off.
“I kind of forget sometimes now that you put it like that,” he said.
There are around 1.3 billion adolescents - those aged 10 to 19 - in the world today, just to put his achievement into some perspective.
Joel moved to Aviemore just over seven years ago and only took up powerlifting four years ago at High Life Highland’s local gym.
But he has gone from strength to strength.
Joel squatted a massive 312 kilogrammes (kgs) to set a new world record for the sub-junior class (under 18) and -105 kgs weight division at the recent Sub-Junior and Junior European Powerlifting EPF championships in Pilsen in the Czech Republic.
The ex-Kingussie High School pupil also came agonisingly close to setting a new world’s best in the deadlift at 331kgs only for a callus to pop under the strain at the worst possible time.
Joel, who competes under the Spanish flag, also smashed his home nation’s benchlift record for age and weight by pressing 177.5kgs.
His squat was by far the heaviest in the whole competition - more so than the biggest competitors in the +120kgs category - as would his deadlift if he had managed to hold on.
Joel has just started studying international business at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh but on his trips home works as a part-time trainer and leisure supervisor at HLH’s Aviemore Community Centre.
“Getting the world record really feels like a great reward for all of the work that I have put in to get to this point,” he said.
“I was more confident about setting a new world benchmark in the deadlift rather than the squat going into the contest.
“My squats felt really bad in the warm-up room - I just did not think it was there - but I just went for it big time.”
His new benchmark was a kilogramme heavier than the previous world best.
As for the one that got away in the deadlift, Joel said: “The bar just slipped out of my grasp at the top when I had already done it.
“You have to wait to get a down command in competitions and agonisingly the bar got away from me because my callus ripped.
“It was annoying as I will not get another chance (to set world record at sub-junior level).
“The only reason that I did not try at the worlds was because I had to secure the win there which was more important.
“I was very confident I would have got it too there as my deadlifts felt a lot better than they did in Pilsen but it is what it is - I’ll just go and have to get the junior records instead!”
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Aviemore’s Joel becomes world powerlifting champion in Malta
He now step up in age group to the junior class (18-23 years) but his lifts means that he will already be challenging the podium at big international competitions.
Joel trained fives days per week for three hours a day at Park Performance, a private gym in Edinburgh, in the lead up to the Euros.
He is already the sub-junior world champion for U18s at his weight after picking up the title in Malta six weeks earlier.
However, he will have to wait for a while to have a go at Olympic glory.
Powerlifting is not yet recognised by the IOC despite on-going concerted efforts to get it into the games.
Joel’s aims are to one day lift the IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) Worlds title and hopefully get his Olympics chance.
He said: “I want to thank my sponsor Kincraig’s Ally Mackenzie of Fitness in the Field Scotland - I would not have been able to travel without his help - and to everyone who has supported me on my journey.”
Fraser Tulloch, HLH’s leisure manager for Badenoch and Strathspey, said: “Joel’s determination, focus and love for his sport is not only an inspiration to our customers and colleagues but for young people in the area too.
“He is a wonderful role model and to have his expertise within our organisation and in the community is great asset.”
