Lifter aiming to reach new heights
Powerlifter James Brincat-Smith is aiming to build on an excellent 2017 as he looks to beat the best in Britain.
The 42-year-old, of Newark, will be one of the favourites when he competes in two championships later this month.
He has had a meteoric rise since taking up the sport in 2015 — leading to some excellent achievements over the past 12 months.
Brincat-Smith competed in the British Powerlifting Championships last year and was crowned Masters One 120-plus champion.
The result was good enough to give him a Great Britain squad selection, and he finished seventh in the IPF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus.
A year of exceptional performances earned him Lifter of the Year at Horncastle Powerlifting Club, home to some of the best British lifters.
He is trained at Horncastle by Marc Giles, a Great Britain head coach with more than 30 years’ experience in powerlifting and weightlifting
Brincat-Smith took up the sport as a way to help battle depression after leaving the army, and said it has given him a new lease of life.
“I was in service for 12 years, and I found it hard adjusting from army lift to civilian life,” he said.
“Before I started I would drink too much, particularly around Christmas-time. There are too many bad memories this time of year, but powerlifting keeps me on the straight and narrow
“The past two years have been a whirlwind. I did well in my first contest and it has all snowballed from there.
“I am fortunate enough to have met some wonderful people in the sport who have helped me get to where I am today.”
'You always push yourself to the edge'
On January 20 he will travel to Stanhope Hall in Horncastle to lift in the British Equipped Championships and British Equipped Bench Press Championship.
Brincat-Smith said he would be training every day to ensure he was in the right physical condition ahead of the two-day event.
“It has been pretty much non-stop over Christmas. I gave myself two days off but now I will be training every day until the competition,” he said.
“You always push yourself to the edge even when you are training I am getting in good shape so it should be a good couple of days.”
“First and foremost I will be thinking about the British Championships before anything else.
“I am not counting my chickens just yet but if I stay injury-free I should have a strong chance.
If Brincat-Smith is successful in the British Championships, there could be another opportunity to represent Great Britain at events in South Africa and Mongolia later this year.
Support is provided by GH Porters and Kitchen 52, both of Newark, who provide food for his strict diet regime.
He has plans in the future to start a powerlifting club in Sutton-on-Trent to provide an opportunity for more local lifters to improve their skills.
