MARTIN Flett bravely overcame shoulder trouble to retain one of his world titles in Belgium.
The Frodsham powerlifter won the over 50s equipped crown at the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation World Championships, after fearing he would be unable to defend it.
Flett, 52, aggravated an injury which has been troubling since May in narrowly failing to regain the unequipped competition at Antwerp – finishing runner-up.
Flett said: “I would probably not have made the trip had I not been the defending over 50s champion.
“But it just didn’t seem right to give up my world titles without a fight.”
In the unequipped section, which prohibits the use of a bench shirt, Flett’s main rival was a French lifter, who weighed in lighter.
“We both made our first two lifts, although my shoulder ‘went’ on my first,” added Flett.
“On the final lift, he made 152½kg and I had to make 155 to beat him, but my shoulder had nothing left and I had to settle for second spot.”
Flett admitted his left arm was “hanging limply from my side” after the unequipped lifting. Had the equipped contest (using a bench shirt) been immediately after it, he could not have competed.
But over the next four hours he got some intensive therapy from one of the USA lifters and decided to try to get at least one lift in.
Having opened up with a 165kg lift, he decided to keep the pressure up on his rivals and successfully completed a second lift at 175kg – which was enough to secure him the title. He even went for a world record 186kg effort, but failed to make it.
