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Richard "The Kid" Duvall
He's been dubbed "The Kid" by a local newspaper. Richard Duvall aka Tricky Dick of the Phantom Warrior Powerlifting Team at Fort Hood, Texas is the youngest member of the team at age 14. The nickname was courtesy of Johnny Graham.
Richard was bitten by the powerlifting bug in 7th grade at age 11 where he competed until completion of the 8th grade. He wanted more, so in early 2004 at age 13 he approached Johnny "Truck" Graham and asked if he could join the Phantom Warrior Team. Truck took him under his wing and worked him hard the first day to see if he could handle the training and more importantly, if he would return the next day. He not only returned but has excelled under the expert training of Johnny Graham and Lanette Lopez.
The first USAPL meet Richard entered was the 2004 Texas State Meet where he captured his first gold medal in the Youth 2 category. He then had a long break until the Longhorn Meet where picked up his second gold just a couple of months after turning 14. Then, came the December Fest in San Antonio, Texas where he placed second and came away more determined than ever that he would not lose again. Richard's next meet was in Killeen, Texas at the High School Nationals. He came away with a bronze medal and felt good about it because this defeat came at the hand of two 16 year olds. He narrowly missed second place by 5 kilos. Next, came the 2005 Teen/Junior Nationals, also in Killeen, Texas. He fared better in this competition and took home his first National championship in the Teen 1, 220 lb weight class with a total of 1,152 lbs. He also set a state bench record, recording a lift of 286 lbs. His latest accomplishment was at the Summer Powerfest, July 30, 2005. He took first place and also garnered the Outstanding Lifter award in the Teen Category. Again he set a State Bench Record of 319.5 lbs. and State Total Record of 1190 lbs. His goal had been to bench 300 lbs before his 15th birthday, August 28, 2005.
It appears that it's time to reassess his goals and look toward what he can accomplish as a 15 year old in the year to come. What immediately comes to mind is a National and American bench record and State squat record. He is only 22 lbs or so away from both. Richard takes one day at a time and is slowly plugging away at carving his own little place in powerlifting history. He looks forward to someday garnering a position on the Sub-Jr World Team. With his love of the sport and dedication to training he will no doubt accomplish that goal.
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