Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Adeel Imtiazi who recently competed in the British Bench Press Championships and triumphed, breaking the national U18 British record in his weight class.
Adeel has been training in the school’s gym for 2-3 years, but only started seriously powerlifting in the last six months. He says, “I started the gym to improve my overall mental and physical health, but during Covid I became deeply interested in it, and it became an integral part of my day-to-day life.
“I play rugby at school and practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu three times a week outside of school. Being a small guy, powerlifting is an essential component of all my sports. I do all my weight training at school; Mr Richmond has overseen my progress over the years.”
“This is only my second ever competition. I competed once before in December 2023 to qualify for this national championship. Out of all my lifts, the bench press has always stood out for me. The technicality of the lift can make or break a PR (Personal Record).
“The training leading up to the event was intense, heavy sessions at least twice a week, with cardio as well. I had to keep an eye on my strength, and my weight to make sure that I could make my weight class on the day.
“The warm-ups felt heavier than usual and I started to get worried. As soon as I got backstage, the adrenaline kicked in, it electrified every muscle in my body and I felt stronger than ever. I ended up with a final lift of 86kg, which gave me the national title and broke a national record. However, it was not a PR for me (my current is 90kg), so I was disappointed.
“I am hoping to continue competing to break more records and hopefully represent Great Britain internationally.”
Well done Adeel!
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