TWO national titles, a world record and a British best - not a bad return for two days' work by powerlifter Martin Flett!

But the former Runcorn gym owner has been a long time preparing for what proved a memorable weekend.

Flett produced an awesome performance at the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association's British Single Lifts Championship in Sheffield.

Day one saw the 51-year-old, who now trains at Muscle & Figure in Widnes, win the Over-50s title for un-equipped benchpress with an agegroup British record in the 100kg bodyweight class.

His third and final effort saw him lift 157.5kg after he had opened with 145kg and then succeeded at 152.5kg.

This placed him third from 11 in the open competition.

The second day saw Flett from Frodsham achieve global supremacy.

A lift of 185kg earned him a new world record in the 100kg class - along with another British Over-50s championship and third out of five in the open category.

He said: 'It hasn't sunk in. It felt fabulous when I got the 185kg, but my overriding emotion was that I could have done more. It was just another step on the path to 200.

'If you ever think, 'That's it, I've achieved everything I wanted,' you stop improving.

'But it was a day I'll always remember, and when I'm in my rocking chair reflecting on my life that'll be one of the highlights.'

Fellow Muscle & Figure member John Walker, 39, of Widnes got his first taste of British Championship action.

Lifting in the 100kg body-weight class, he lifted 145kg and 150kg before narrowly failing at 155kg - claiming fourth place in the five-strong open field.

Walker becomes a Masters One competitor in BDFPA events on his 40th birthday in November and should be a strong contender for the M1 title next year.

In British Weight Lifters' Association (BWLA), he is already classed as a M1 competitor as lifters become eligible on January 1 in their 40th-birthday year.

This Sunday he will be contesting the Masters One event in the BWLA Un-equipped championships in Colchester, Essex.

At the same event, Flett is to defend the M2 title he won last year.

Meanwhile, Widnes' Dave Littler, also of Muscle & Gym, made his competitive debut in the 82.5kg class at Sunday's annual Manchester & District Powerlifting Championships.

Littler achieved the British qualifying standard of 510 kilos with an exceptional performance which ranked him third out of four in the 82.5kg class.

He was, however, lifting unequipped against equipped lifters.

He qualifies for the British Championships on September 1-2.