Magnus Ver Praises Derek Poundstone

IFSA-USA/ASC president Dione Wessels that Derek Poundstone's lead was so big at this weekend's ASC National Championships that he didn't even have to do the last two events, and now the stage is set for him to compete in bigger IFSA contests. 

"Derek won with a 30-point difference between himself and second place," Wessels said, adding, "Chad Coy said it had been 10 years since an American nationals was dominated [like this]."

Don't think that Derek is going to be resting on his laurels, though, because Wessels said that he is "now preparing to compete against athletes such as Zydrunas [Savickas], Vasyl [Virastyuk], and Andrus [Murumets] in the IFSA USA vs. the World," an IFSA contest that has not yet been formally announced.

Magnus Ver Magnusson told IronMind® that when he first saw Derek Poundstone, last year, "He was a bit of a newcomer, and he was having some problems with injuries. If he can stay healthy," Magnus Ver said, "I thought he could become really good."

Later last year, though, things got really tough for Poundstone.

"Even though Derek qualified for the IFSA World's last year, three weeks prior to the competition, he had to pull out due to a herniated disc in which he was told that he would never be able to lift heavy again. So for him to come back and win the National Championships, is amazing in itself," Wessels said.

For Magnus Ver, the big picture is clear: "There are a bunch of American guys at the top now who are really good." Talking about being competitive in a big contest, Magnus Ver said, "Travis Ortmayer, Derek Poundstone, Van Hatfield, Steve MacDonald . . . any of these guys can grab it. It comes down to the events and who doesn't make any mistakes and, sometimes, who is the hungriest."

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