Young Harborough powerlifter sets his sights on the world stage after winning national championships

Charlie Hartwell, who trains at Bruno’s Gym in Harborough, was crowned the winner at the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association championship earlier this month.

The 18-year-old competed in the bench press and deadlift – lifting a weight from the floor to hip-level - categories, lifting 122.5kg and 190kg respectively.

He won his class, which was grouped according to age and weight.

The British champion will now go on to compete in the world championships in June, held in Rome.

"It was a massive sense of achievement." said Charlie, who is studying for an engineering degree at Silverstone UTC and wants to go into motorsport.

"I’ve got a good family down at my gym, working with a lot of people, and massive support from my family.

"This is my passion, hopefully if I win, it will be a massive stepping stone for the future. Powerlifting is the sport I’m best at, up there with motorsport engineering, and I’d like it to be in my future."

Charlie started powerlifting five years ago with no experience. He added: "I saw it as a way of escaping. I’ve had a troubling time in the past and it was a way to escape with my own thoughts. I competed in my first comp in October last year (regional qualifier for nationals). It’s my passion, and I’ve found something I’m really good at."

Despite his success, the teenager said he "didn’t perform as well as I wanted to", adding: "I feel like I could do better and I want to win the world championships. I hope to lift more at the world championships, I want to break the English national record on bench press."

Fellow gym member Ian Bartlett said: “He is such a lovely lad, so humble yet so focused and determined when he needs to be. We are all very proud of him at the gym having seen him come so far in such a short space of time. We are excited for him and looking forward to seeing what he can deliver on the world stage!”