Zane Sanchez has only been involved in powerlifting less than a year, taking up the sport at the urging of a Lapeer High School classmate.
And he's now a state and national champion.
The LHS junior has quickly found the passion for powerlifting, winning the state championship this year in the 275-pound weight class with a combined lift of 1,535 pounds and moving on to the national event, where Sanchez again placed first March 29 in Killeen, Tex., at the 2026 USA Powerlifting High School Nationals.
"Winning states and then taking it to nationals and winning as well makes me only want greater things for myself because I know I can achieve more," said Sanchez. "I’d say I’m pushing my goals to their limits and I hope that my victories in the sport inspire more kids from Lapeer to come try it out for themselves."
Playing soccer and football growing up, Sanchez took inspiration from a trusted source to take a leap of faith and hit the weights.
"At a young age, I watched my older brother Isaiah Lee, who used to go to Lapeer schools, go from skinny to jacked and I was a chunky kid growing up, so watching him change himself the way he did inspired me to start going to the gym," Sanchez said. "I started out pretty weak, but my strength picked up pace pretty fast. Freshman year, my friend Easton McKinstry told me I should try powerlifting, but I wasn’t fully set on it yet because I didn’t really understand the sport. Then sophomore year came around, which was also my first year playing football, so I thought why not just give it a shot. I went to nearly every competition MHSPLA hosted and didn’t lose a single competition and took three state JV records on JV for the 275-pound weight class - 525 squat, 320 bench, and 1350 total.
"I think what kept me hooked to the sport was just my determination to be the best I can be and the strongest I can be and the individuality it gave me. It was no one’s fault if I lost or came in second and so on, only mine."
Winning a state championship was a huge feather in his cap, but going to nationals last weekend was an amazing experience for Sanchez, who had to overcome adversity to stand atop the podium.
"My total lift really wasn’t the best, 1500 pounds, and I totaled more at the state meet, but I took an American record on squat (630 pounds) but that’s because the only lifts that I hit were my openers," said Sanchez. "I opened up with 1500 total and I wanted to be around 1700 total because I’ve hit that total at the gym I go to, but there was some complications with what platform I was on. I started on platform 2 and then got switched to 1, then switched back to 2 with no one telling me. Platform 1’s starting time was around 4 p.m., then platform 2’s was around 3 p.m., so assuming I started at 4 p.m. and not 3 p.m., I never warmed up, so I hit a 630 squat, 345 bench and a 525 deadlift, then scratched my second with no warmup which isn’t safe at all, so I ended up scratching my second and third attempts and still took home the win."
The world competition, the IDFPA Student and University World Championships, is set for May 29-June 1 in Tampa, Fla., something Sanchez is already training and preparing for as he has "set very, very high standards for myself."
"I intend on taking world records," boasted Sanchez. "I would like to have a 700-plus squat, 400-plus bench and a 700-plus deadlift taking a squat and total world record for 16-year-olds in the 125-kilogram/275-pound weight class."
Aside from powerlifting, Sanchez was busy with athletics his first two years of high school.
"My freshman year, I played JV and varsity soccer, then I switched over to football my sophomore year and got pulled up to varsity," Sanchez said. "Then this year, I decided to focus on powerlifting and I’m glad I did. Senior year, I intend on coming back to football because friends and coaches have asked me to and I figured I might as well for my senior year."
A state and national champion with an eye on setting world records, Sanchez realizes he can be a role model for younger generations looking to follow in his footsteps.
"My advice for the younger kids is no matter what it is, what you want to do, what goals you have set for yourself or what you want to become, give it everything you have," said Sanchez. "Striving for your goals and giving something your all is the best feeling you can get out of life."