Just under ten years after being crowned world champion, Exmouth’s Royal Marines Veteran Paul Collinson attended the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association's [BDFPA] British Championships on March 3 in Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

Paul, who beat the world record with a 160kg lift at the World Champs in Dusseldorf in 2014, competed in the Raw Bench press, a discipline he holds multiple Local, National and International titles and records.

Just three years ago, the owner of FootGolf on the Exe, won a brilliant Gold at the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association’s [BDFPA] postponed 2020 British Championships

This year, he moved up an age group to the 60-64[M5) category, feeling old but not as old as the 89 year-old competing in the Deadlift discipline.

The competition bench press is a far cry from 'gym' lifting and is arguably the most technical of the three Powerlifting disciplines, requiring the lifter to follow the three words of command [start - press - rack] given by the centre ref.

This ensures the lifter has control of the bar at the start of the exercise prior to the start command, at the chest prior to the press command, and at the end of the press prior to the rack command.

With a tapered nine-week peaking programme executed locally and at specialist Powerlifting/strongman gym, Synergy Barbell in Western Super Mare, confidence was high and having successfully opened with a new British and European record of 147.5kg in the M5 under 90kg category, he went on to press 152.5kg then 158kg for a new world record, before taking a fourth lift to extend the record to 160kg.

Next stop for Paul is Amsterdam for the World Championships in June, then Dublin for the European Championships in September. Paul finds Powerlifting to be a positive training method, it strengthens muscles and tendons, increases bone density, which all reduce with age.

He said: “Training individually or with like-minded people is fun and really social, lifters are always encouraging and helpful, providing feedback and guidance to each other. Every day is a learning day, no matter the length of time someone has trained and/or competed.”

Congratulations to Paul from everyone in East Devon, not often we have a multiple world record holder and champion powerlifter on the doorstep.