TWYFORD powerlifter Roger Hamilton-Smith is set to represent Great Britain at this summer’s World Championships.
Hamilton-Smith, who works as a massage therapist, will compete in the masters category for athletes aged 40 or over.
Among the top 10 in the country and also ranked 50th in the world rankings for his under 66kg category, last year’s All England Championships gold medallist will take on the sport’s best in Minsk, Belarus next month.
“The team was chosen from the top lifters who competed at the British Masters Championships in Belfast earlier in the year and it was my third attempt to join the British team,” explained Hamilton-Smith.
“The warm-up went well, I was feeling relaxed and confident about the day. Perhaps too confident.
“I rushed my 170kg squat attempt, a silly mistake that would be compounded later in the competition.
“I held a 10kg lead over my competitor Greig Murray going into the deadlift, but he lifted 230kg and it was too late for me to do anything.
“It was a close battle, a good battle and in the end, the strongest lifter won.
“So, receiving the invite to join the team a few weeks later came as a surprise.”
Hamilton-Smith only took up powerlifting in 2014, five years after building up his weights work following a rock climbing accident.
But he says he was hooked on the sport as soon as he saw it with his own eyes.
“I cannot recall when I learned about powerlifting for the first time, but I know that in the summer of 2014 my partner Yasmina and I went to a powerlifting competition to watch and learn,” he said.
“It was awe-inspiring to say the least, not just weight being lifted by the women and men, but the excitement in the room.
“We had some coaching for both of us. It was a great session and we learned about the fine details of competitive powerlifting and how to get stronger.”
In that short space of time, Hamilton-Smith has now gone on to break a number of English powerlifting records and will compete in the All England Championships later this month before travelling to Minsk.
