Mike Bencsik is no stranger to lifting big weights.

He鈥檚 been lifting since 2005 when he first got started in the gym at Glenrosa Middle School.

Now at 32-years-old, he can clean and jerk 458 pounds, snatch 308 pounds and back squat 682 pounds.

People often ask him about how much he can bench press, but Bencsik is an Olympic-style lifter 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 bench.

On Dec. 10, Bencsik is taking his impressive lifting skills abroad to Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he鈥檒l compete with Team Canada at the International Weightlifting Federation鈥檚 World Championships and Commonwealth Championships.

Bencsik is no stranger to competition either.

He competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Locally, he competes in the annual Ogopogo Open weightlifting competition, including the most recent Open held in August 2021.

In preparation for the World Championships, Bencsik trains five times a week with his coach Guy Greavette who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Both are Okanagan Vikings Weightlifting Club and train out of 91大黄鸭鈥檚 Aspire Health & Performance.

READ MORE: Okanagan鈥檚 Vikings Weightlifting Club shows world-class at annual Ogopogo competition

鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun to try hard and be focused on something I like to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gets my mind off the negative things in life. Like with COVID, everything has been so wishy-washy and it seems like people have lost their direction. So I鈥檝e created my own direction.鈥�

That said, the new Omicron variant, coupled with recent natural disasters in B.C., has changed Bencsik鈥檚 direction slightly. He鈥檒l need to undergo enhanced COVID-19 screening measures and now has to fly from 91大黄鸭 to Vancouver because the highways that remain open are for essential traffic only.

鈥淭he cost of the trip so far is at $5,400, which is about twice as much as it used to be.鈥�

To offset a portion of the increased costs, Bencsik started a with a goal of raising $1,700. He鈥檚 raised about $1,100 so far.

Several countries including China, Britain, Australia, Italy, Botswana and South Africa have pulled their athletes out of the competition due to fears around the Omicron variant. With many athletes and technical staff sidelined and the championships set to begin on Dec. 7, the competition schedule is in flux.

READ MORE: What we know so far about COVID-19鈥檚 Omicron variant, as it arrives in Canada

Bencsik isn鈥檛 letting COVID concerns get to his head 鈥� he鈥檚 focused purely on training and being ready to lift as soon as he sets foot in Uzbekistan, although ideally, he鈥檒l have a few days to prepare before he competes.

If Bencsik is successful at the IWF World Championships, he could qualify to compete again at the Commonwealth Games, which are scheduled for 2022 in Birmingham, England.

You can follow his journey on Instagram @mikebencsik and his Facebook page: Mike Bencsik 鈥� Olympic Weightlifter.