TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese powerlifter Yang Sen (楊森) won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division of the men's powerlifting competition at the 2022 World Games in the U.S. on Sunday (July 10), after breaking the squat world record in the process.

Yang squatted a world record 440 kg, bench pressed 322.5 kg and deadlifted 332.5 kg for a combined weight of 1,095 kg. Yang finished second to Oleksiy Bychkov of Ukraine, whose combined total was 1,115 kg.

The 114.8-kilogram Yang said he didn’t look at the scoreboard and just tried his best during the competition, so when he realized he nearly became the powerlifting champion in the super heavyweight division, he was taken by surprise, the Sports Administration said in a press release.

After the competition, Yang said he was baffled when he was told to go on stage to receive an award, adding that only later did he realize he had won a silver medal, CNA reported.

“The training in the last few months has paid off, and everything is worth it,” he said.

Yang’s coach Hsu Siao-li (許小莉) said that Yang had been attempting to break the squat world record in the World Championships for the past two years.

The World Games is an international sports event held every four years in the year following each Summer Olympic Games, and comprises sports that are not included in the Olympics. The 11th edition of the World Games is being held in Birmingham, Alabama from July 7-17.