Australian Paralympic athletes are on track to qualify for the powerlifting 100kg weight division at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, after achieving two places in the top 10 at the IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Dave Williams and Cameron Whittington rounded out the top ten for the 100kg class, finishing in 9th and 10th place respectively.  With top 10 finishes, both athletes are in strong contention for London Paralympic qualification but will need to battle one another in a fight for the single competition spot NPCs are allocated across each weight division.

Through the Bipartite Qualification Process, a further two qualifying slots for each event will become available closer to the Games, for which athletes may be able to compete.

Williams yesterday broke through his 165kg PB set at the Commonwealth Games Selection Meet earlier this year, lifting 167.5kg to finish 9th out of 14 competitors.

Whittington however fell short of his 172.5kg PB, lifting 165kg to take out 10th position.

Australian Senior Paralympic Powerlifting Coach Scott Upston was pleased with Williams’ result but disappointed Whittington did not perform to his best.

Australia’s final lifter, Deahnne McIntyre takes to the floor today in the Over 82.5kg weight division, for which she is ranked number one on the current world ranking list.

By Rebekka Wake