A FRODSHAM lifter qualified for the national bench-press championships through his exploits in a regional competition - and broke a British bench record three times along the way.
Competing in the North-West Unequipped Powerlifting and Bench Press Champion-ships, Martin Flett added 17kg to the previous best mark in the U100kg category at Masters Two (Under 50 years) level.
Only one lifter competing in his weight division, across the senior and Masters One (Over 40s) events, bettered the performance of the 50-year-old at Thorn Cross in Cheshire.
Gym owner Flett said he was even more delighted at smashing the British record than he had been when tackling April's World Bench Press Championships in Florida.
'It was the first competition I have ever done in which everything was just right,' he said.
'The way I was feeling they could have put anything on the bar for that last lift.'
Flett joined training mates Peter Boardman, Joey Guatella, and Ian Sergeant for the North-West event.
The quartet, who have all done their training at Flett's Health and Fitness gym in Runcorn, now go forward to the British championships in Milton Keynes on June 25.
Flett had gone into the tournament after finishing seventh out of 11 in the world championships in Miami.
'Miami went really well - a really enjoyable experience from start to finish,' he said.
'It was just fantastic mixing with the top powerlifters. I had read about them but suddenly there you are standing next to them.'
Next stop for Flett, who lives in Frodsham, is September's European Masters Bench-Press Championships in the Ukraine.
