Don Ramos Wins World Masters Games, Named Grand Master

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Seventy-six-year-old Don Ramos (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a gold medal at the World Masters Games and was named the Grand Master of the event in Sydney, Australia on Oct. 16.  

Ramos set two new age division world records in the 75-79-year-old 105kg division at the meet where he snatched 80kg and lifted 100kg in the clean and jerk, smashing the previous world records of 70kg and 93kg.  

At 76-years-old, Ramos has now become the oldest man in the world to clean and jerk 100kg in competition.

Ramos' formula score was 446.9106 which made him the highest rated athlete in a meet that included more than 400 lifters ranging from age 35 to more than 80 years old.  Ramos's win marked the first time in nine years an American has been named Grand Master at the event.

"My goal is to still be having good lifts when I'm 90," said Ramos who began competing in the sport again when he was 50-years-old after a 40-year hiatus. 

Ramos now holds age group world records in the 85kg, 94kg and 105 kg divisions.

"I want to drop down to 77 so I can try and become the only person to hold world records in four categories," Ramos said.