On March 12-13, 2022, the 2022 British Powerlifting (BP) British Men’s Classic Championships took place at the ENERGYZE Gym & Fitness Centre in Colchester, England. In the 105-kilogram category, 51-year-old Sam Watt battled against six other raw lifters in the Open division to defend his all-time British powerlifting total of 875 kilograms (1,929 pounds) from the 2022 European Powerlifting Federation (EPA) North West Winter Open on Feb. 12, 2022.
Despite Abdul Majeed Sulayman exceeding Watt’s previous British total record by a single kilogram, Watt eclipsed the margin by 12.5 kilograms for a new British total record of 887.5 kilograms (1,956.6 pounds). Here is Watt’s full performance below, where he went a perfect nine for nine:
2022 British Men’s Classic Championships — Sam Watt | 105KG Raw
- Squat
- 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds)
- 317.5 kilograms (700 pounds)
- 325 kilograms (716.5 pounds)
- Bench Press
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 190 kilograms (418.9 pounds)
- 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds)
- Deadlift
- 320 kilograms (705.5 pounds)
- 350.5 kilograms (772.7 pounds)
- 367.5 kilograms (810.2 pounds)
- Total — 887.5 kilograms (1,956.6 pounds) — New British Record
In addition to winning the best lifter award for his Dynamic Objective Team Scoring System (DOTS) score of 109.65, Watt also broke the previous IPF British deadlift record of 355 kilograms (782.6 pounds) on his final attempt, according to Open Powerlifting. However, his new record did not last beyond Michael Tennant’s final attempt of 368 kilograms (811.3 pounds). For reference, Tennant also holds the British deadlift record of 370 kilograms (815.7 pounds). Check out Watt’s best lifts in the videos below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
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[Related: ICYMI: Check Out Jen Thompson’s (67.5KG) 145.5-Kilogram Raw Bench Press World Record]
According to the caption of Watt’s Instagram post, he approached his lifts in the squat and the bench presses with conservative weights. However, his 195-kilogram (429.9-pound) bench press is a competition PR — five kilograms more than his previous best. Watt’s deadlifts felt on point on competition day, and although his new British deadlift record didn’t hold, he mentioned that he had more in the tank:
I felt crazy strong in my pulling and felt I could load anything up to 380 kilograms to secure the win, 367.5 kilograms was enough.
If Watt could have hit 380 kilograms (837.8 pounds), it would be the heaviest British deadlift ever by 10 kilograms. When Watt competes next, this is likely the lift to pay the closest attention to.
Sam Watt’s Powerlifting Career
Per Open Powerlifting, Watt has been an elite force in the sport across four decades. Since making his debut at age 19 at the 1990 British Amateur Weightlifting Federation (BAWLA) British Under 23 Championships, where he finished second, Watt has competed in 40 sanctioned contests.
Of those 40, he’s won half of them and podiumed at 10 more. In addition to holding the second heaviest IPF British deadlift, Watt holds the raw British squat, deadlift, and total records in the Masters 45-49 and Masters 50-54 divisions.
Featured image: @samwattfitness on Instagram
