The 20-year-old placed seventh in the 242-pound heavyweight division at the International Powerlifting Federation World Men's Junior Championships on Sept. 8 in La Garde, France, to help the United States take second place.
Kline's total weight for the squats, bench press and deadlift equaled 735 kilograms, good for four of the team's 51 second-place points. Russia won the championship with 72 points, followed by the United States, Poland (47), Japan (34) and Germany (27) rounding out the
35-team competition.
"I'm very happy with it," Kline said. "I was excited I finished seventh."
Kline earned his spot on the U.S. team after winning a national title earlier this year at the Teen Junior Powerlifting Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he earned first place in the bench press (424 pounds), squats (650), deadlift (589) and all-around combined weight (1,663).
His goal at the world competition was to lift at least 1,700 pounds. He reached a little more than 1,620.
"My coach looked at me after the meet and after all my last lifts and knew I had more weight in me," said Kline, a 2005 Yelm High School graduate. "This was sort of like my tryout for the team, and there's no doubt I'm ready to be on the team."
