TWO Annandale athletes are tapering down their training as they prepare to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in South Africa next month.
Gretna’s Jordan Murray and Thomas Scott, from Langholm, will both depart for the luxury Sun City resort in the North West Province of the Rainbow Nation next Thursday, the event is being held from Friday October 4 to October 13.
The pair are aiming to record their heaviest ever lifts across the squat, bench and deadlift exercises.
In total, Scotland are sending a team of 70 athletes out for the competition.
And as they get set to line up against their fellow competitors from across the Commonwealth, Jordan and Thomas are hopeful that a couple of medals will be coming back home with them to South West Scotland.
Thomas got involved in the sport during his time at the University of Stirling.
The former Langholm Academy pupil trains four days a week at Strength Shack in Carlisle.
He placed first in January’s Scottish University and College Championships at Lochgelly, with a 265 kg squat, 152.5 kg bench and 300 kg deadlift.
In South Africa the 22-year-old will compete in the Junior (U23) category U93 kg wight class, where he is gunning for a trophy.
Thomas said: “I’m extremely excited. Being able to represent your country but also have fun and experience it with some of your best mates is the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to win.
“I’m very grateful to all the people who have supported me to get to this point but also feel a sense of relief that all the hard work and training has paid off.”
Thomas would like to express thanks to family and friends and the Holywood Trust for support. You can follow his Instagram @tsct.pl to keep up to date with his powerlifting journey.
After training seriously at the gym for a number of years, ex-Annan Academy pupil Jordan Murray wanted to try something new, so he also joined the Powerlifting Club at Stirling.
He now splits up his four training sessions a week between Annan’s LActive and Strength Shack.
Jordan also won his category at January’s university championships, posting a 227.5 kg squat, 132.5 kg bench and 270 kg deadlift.
The 24-year-old will compete in the U83 kg weight class and the open age category in Sun City.
He said: “This is a sport that I’ve only been doing for just over two years now, and I was in disbelief to be given such a huge opportunity to represent my country.
“Before powerlifting I had never competed beyond a regional level in any sport, so it means a great deal to have reached this level.
“I’m very much looking forward to this trip, being able to step foot on the international platform alongside some of my best mates is exciting.
“I’m hoping to hit some PRs across all three lifts, but most importantly to just enjoy the experience and make the most of it.”
Thanks are expressed to family, friends, and his coach for their support. You can follow Jordan’s training @muzza.pl on Instagram.
