I was in my hotel room at Bally’s in Las Vegas and my phone rang at 6:50 a.m. I was just going out the door to start the 22nd WABDL Worlds on November 13. Noah Tibbets’ father called to say his son died the day before. I was devastated.
Noah’s father told me his son loved powerlifting more than anything in the world. He was obsessed by it. Everything his son did involved powerlifting in some way. His classes in high school, his meals, his sleeping habits – powerlifting was 24/7 for Noah according to his father. Noah weighed 300 pounds plus. Mr. Tibbetts was worried about his weight, but Noah was only concerned about size and strength.
Noah still holds world records in push-pull single ply at 14-15/242# with 677.7; 14-15/308# with 738.2; and he holds all three records in 16-17/308# in raw bench press 402.2, deadlift 540.0 and push-pull with 925.7. Noah was a dedicated rising star whose life was cut way too short in his quest for the biggest weights possible. He will be missed.
Gus Rethwisch
