Special Olympics powerlifting athletes pump up the focus

LOS ANGELES -- The first round of the Special Olympics World Games powerlifting events got underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday.

The triple combination competition is composed of three different skills: squats, bench press and dead lifts.

"I'm thinking they can lift a whole lot more than I can ever lift," said Bob Norbie from Montana.

"It's pretty cool to see the athletes out here. Just all their determination and their focus is just awesome," La Habra resident Matthew Holmberg said.

Crowd favorite 19-year-old Henri Joel Kouad from the Ivory Coast lifted his personal best - 203.9 pounds.

"I put my hands down and lifted it up and got it done," Kouad said through a translator.

Yorleni Chavarria and Jenny Brenes of Team Costa Rica summed up the competition in one word: easy.

Although most of the World Games athletes don't speak English, their expressions are universal.

The World Games run through August 2. All the sporting events are free and open to the public. To cheer these athletes, view the schedule here: www.la2015.org/schedule.