Powerlifter Eshwar shows he’s built differently with record-breaking feat

Power on: Eshwar Evan Dmitry Klokol showing his supremacy during the National Powerlifting Championship in May. Below: Eshwar with his father Dmytro. — Eshwar Klokol

PETALING JAYA: Eshwar Evan Dmitry Klokol is only 17 but he is already rewriting the script in Malaysian powerlifting.

The teenage sensation had shattered three national records in the under-93kg men’s sub junior weight class at the National Championship in May, setting new marks in the squat (230kg), deadlift (260kg), and total (625kg). He had also lifted a 135kg in the bench press but it was not a record.

With powerlifting in his blood, Eshwar is proving that greatness does not have to wait.

But Eshwar did not start in the gym.

His early days were filled with karate kicks and squash rallies, laying down the athletic foundation that would later fuel his rise.

It was not until he turned 12 that the gym became his second home - training under the watchful eyes of his father, Dmytro Klokol, a lifelong fitness enthusiast and martial artist.

“I’ve been doing compound lifts from the very beginning. My dad had me on full training routines early on, so I had the fundamentals before I even stepped into competitions,” said Eshwar, who now trains under former national powerlifter Ahmad Hisham Akmal Ahmad Tarmizi.

In fact, it was his mother who pushed him into competitions.

“It was her idea. She felt that if I was going to be spending my time in the gym and doing powerlifting training, I should be competing as well so we could see results.”

Eshwar’s discipline and natural strength paid off fast, earning him not just medals but respect from seasoned lifters.

Currently in his second semester studying computer science at the Asia Pacific University in Bukit Jalil, Eshwar is eyeing the bench press record to claim all four records in his weight class.

Eshwar is confident he can achieve the target of lifting over 140kg at the Johor Powerlifting Open Vol III from Oct 25-26.

“I’ve already done 140kg in training, and I still had plenty left in the tank when I broke the records in May, so I’m confident I can do it in October,” said Eshwar.

His father, Dmytro, originally from Ukraine, is beaming with pride over his son’s accomplishment.

“The training programme I put him on was the basics, the foundation. These are the moves that people used to do in the 90s,” said Dmytro, who began lifting weights in the early 1990s.

“But that’s how you build strength and avoid injury.

He noticed how far gym culture has strayed from those principles.

“Today, you see kids and even adults doing workouts with little effects. There’s no structure, no proper coaching,” he said.

“Eshwar was lifting like a pro. Even experienced bodybuilders noticed. They saw that he wasn’t just strong, but he was lifting smart,” said Dmytro.