Powerful performances

SIX lifters from the Hitchin and Letchworth Weightlifting Club enjoyed huge success at the British Unequipped Powerlifting Championships.

The lifters, who train together at Letchworth Corner Sports Club in Whitethorn Lane, made the long journey to Ashington in Northumberland.

The first of the group to lift was Ricky Gates in the under-23 age group, 125kgs weight class. He faced stiff competition from a Northern Irish lifter and finished second, having achieved personal bests in the squat (180kgs), bench press (125kgs) and deadlift (230kgs) with a pb total of 535kgs.

Masters Two competitor Chris Anderson was next up in the 82.5kgs class.

He has been away from the lifting circuit for several years, but that did not stop him winning this class with a total of 542.5kgs, and breaking the British Masters Two record in the squat with a lift of 192.5kgs.

Masters One lifters Allen Ottolangui and Doug D'Gama were the last to lift on the Saturday.

Ottolangui, who is representing Great Britain in the World Masters Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Palm Springs in October, produced a total of 507.5kgs to win the 75kgs class while carrying a leg injury.

D'Gama, who is also the Masters One British unequipped bench press champion, won the 90kgs class for the fourth year in a row, producing a personal best of 190kgs in the squat and a pb total of 580kgs.

On the Sunday, Steve Gates and Ian Newsome competed against each in the senior, 90kgs weight group.

Gates, last year's 82.5kgs champion, moved up a weight class and produced personal bests in the squat (215kgs) and bench press (130kgs) to finish in second position with a pb total of 602.5kgs.

Newsome spent his first weekend as a married man away from his new wife and pushed Steve hard to finish third in this group, totalling 552.5kgs.