Army And RAF Powerlifters Retain Titles At UKAF Championships

The Royal Air Force's men and Army women have retained their titles at the UK Armed Forces Powerlifting Championships.

The event was held at RAF Cosford with close to 50 competitors taking part.

Deadlift, squats and bench press were on the agenda and the men's event was a close battle between the RAF and the Army.

After a day of lifting, the RAF were announced as champions for the second consecutive year, defeating the Army by just 1.14 points.

Squadron Leader Chris Marshall,  chairman of RAF Powerlifting, was pleased with the result.

"We managed to win the men's title for the first time in eight years last year," he said.

"It is harder to retain [the title] and there were very strong teams from the Army and Navy again."

The close scores continued in the women’s events.

The Army were the reigning champions and they managed to hold off a strong challenge from the Air Force.

The lead changed three times in the final event but a 1.5 point advantage meant more success for the Army women.

"What makes it special is the fact that is a team event," said Officer Cadet Alison Bucker.

"Although everyone is lifting to get personal bests, ultimately we all come together."

The Army and the RAF scored a title each, but there were also positives for the Navy.

They were not able to put out a full-strength team due to commitments but plenty of personal records were broken just in time for the BDFPA World Championships at the end of the month.