ESG - Weightlifting
Miskovski jacks up silver medal
by MATT KRUEGER Reporter

He yells, grunts and stomps his way through competition, which would make him a nightmare in golf. But Cheektowaga's Mark Miskovski fits right into the world of weightlifting.

Miskovski, a Maryvale High School graduate, used all his little noises to help himself lift 230 total kilograms (506 pounds) in the 77-kilogram division and win a silver medal at the Empire State Games this past weekend. He cleared 102 kilos (224.4 pounds) in the snatch and 128 kilos (281.6 pounds) in the clean and jerk. Both marks were personal bests.

"I did pretty well," a winded, but excited, Miskovski said after the competition. "I got two personal records and had a 50-kilo improvement over last year, so I did a lot better."

In his first Empire State Games last year, Miskovski finished out of the medal race.

Miskovski, 19, has a pre-lift ritual of pounding low-fives with his coach, slapping himself on the legs, chest and face and stomping angrily up to the platform with a maniacal smile. He then wiggles his fingers before gripping the bar and taps his feet while breathing out heavily. Then it's a quick burst of energy and his arms balance the bar over his head until a judge gives him the all-clear direction of "down."

The Daeman College student began weightlifting four years ago to help with his other sports - he wrestled and played football in high school. But it was on the platform, not the wrestling ring, where he found his niche.

"I was just doing it for wrestling at first," he said. "But I was better at lifting than I ever was at wrestling."

The only competitor to beat Miskovski was his Western teammate Jonas Westbrook of Buffalo. Westbrook, last year's silver medalist, picked up 257 total kilos to win gold.

"He did very well," Miskovski said of his teammate. "I'm thankful he's a Western guy now, because he was with Adirondack last year."

Adirondack's Keith Nautel won the bronze with a total lift of 217 kilos.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com