NORWALK, CT - Coating Chemist Bart Smarkucki, of King Industries Inc., received the Best Lifter award in Olympic weightlifting at the Connecticut Open on July 21. Within the 188-206 pound weight class, Smarkucki took home first with a snatch of 275 pounds and clean and jerk of 334 pounds. These two lifts qualified Smarkucki for the American Open in Dallas this December.

Smarkucki, a graduate of Sacred Heart University with a masters in chemistry, designs corrosion inhibitors in the King lab but spends countless hours training in the gym. He is training with the goal of representing the United States in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 summer games.

King Industries Inc., Norwalk, CT, designs, manufactures, and distributes chemical additives for small and large companies throughout the world. The company has expertise in catalysis, alkylated naphthalene, corrosion resistance, resin modification and antiwear.