British Powerlifting Championships 2007

14 May 2007

This was a very slick national championship run by Greg Ashford, Meet Director, and his crew at the University of Bath in Somerset on 14 April. There were plenty of entries by high quality athletes shaping up for selection for the 2007 European and World Championship. The caliber of lifting was excellent. All champions were presented magnificent glass engraved ornaments.

It was good to see a greater number of teenager and junior entries with James Peake, Arwyn Brain, Zak Wilcox and Nathan Roberts becoming the new life blood of our sport. Kyle Nicholas lifted a new British record dead lift of 215kg and the Teenager/Junior Champion of Champions title.

Steve Knight took the 90kg class with eight good attempts. An awesome performance by Mark Griffiths who Squatted 360kg, Bench pressed 200kg and Dead Lift 340.5kg for a new world record. He also won the annual best overall Nick Luffman Memorial trophy for the Squat and lifted the Open Champion of Champions title. He is now the number one British powerlifter. Mark has now elevated to holding the world records on squat and dead lift and is leveling up to be a full 125kg class lifter in future years. He should go all the way this year with European and world titles.

Dean Bolt. a new 140kg open lifter, came in like a bolt from the blue, pulling a 340 kg dead for a new world record and a 892.5kg total record. He is yet to apply any lifting technology which in a couple of years would put him on 1,000kg total.

Master lifter Dean Drury won his class and lifted the Master Champion of Champions title with good bench press and dead lifts. Andrew Shipman pulled off personal best squat and bench to win his class.

On the bench press Tony Brown exploited his experience in breaking a world master’s record with 241 kg on his second attempt and lifted the Champion of Champions title. Rich Fricker 140kg+ class Master 45+ with 193kg. Another strong man named Mike King took the 125kg class Master 55+ world bench press record with 220kg and David Tickle broke the 100kg Master 50kg+ with 181kg. Two guest lifters, Kostyantyn Ivanov and Viktor Matsykur from the Ukraine, put in an appearance to set markers for a full team representation at the 2007 European Championships. We were very pleased to greet Viktor, the Vice President of the Ukraine Powerlifting Federation, on his first visit to the UK.

With all these great athletes’ performances, the British Team will be a formidable force to combat the athletes at the forthcoming 2007 European Championships in Port Talbot, South Wales on between 22 June and 24 June.