British powerlifter Phil Richard died suddenly two days before his 53rd birthday. Although he had been experiencing some health issues, Richard’s passing was unexpected and shocked the powerlifting community in his home nation of Wales and beyond.
Richard started his powerlifting journey at 13 years old in 1984. He represented his country on the international stage at the 1988 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Junior Powerlifting Championships in Luxembourg, lifting in the 52KG class. He didn’t score a total but returned the following year and won gold — the first of many international titles.
Richard had a great love for the sport of powerlifting, competing often and well. He didn’t miss a year since those humble beginnings at the Welsh Junior Championships. In his long career, Richard picked up the following accolades, among many others:
Phil Richard’s Career Powerlifting Accolades
- 3 x Equipped Junior World Champion
- 4 x Equipped Masters 1 World Champion
- 4 x Equipped Junior European Champion
- 3 x Equipped Open Western European Champion
- 1 x Equipped Open European Champion
- 10 x Equipped Masters European Champion
- 1 x Classic Masters European Champion
- 1 x Equipped Open Commonwealth Champion
- 10 x Equipped Open British Champion
- 8 x Equipped Masters British Champion
- 3 x Classic Masters British Champion
Richard was also proud of having represented Great Britain at the 2005 World Games and twice being invited to lift at the UK Arnold in his fifties. Richard was held in great regard by his fellow powerlifters and was inducted into the European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) Hall of Fame in 2018.
A great proponent of equipped powerlifting, Richard was always at hand to help an inexperienced lifter or offer encouragement. When not lifting, Richard could usually be found at a competition, coaching, spotting and loading, or refereeing.
Richard was often the life and soul of the party; small in stature but huge in spirit and touched the hearts of all those who knew him.
Fellow British lifter Tony Cliffe commented: “[Richard] was inspirational for me as a stalwart of the British team when I started lifting, he was so supportive, encouraging and everything you’d want from a role model, he was also fun to be around and would lift the mood no matter the circumstances.”
Richard continued as an active and successful powerlifter into his fifties and, at the time of his passing, was Classic British Masters Champion, Equipped European Masters Champion, and Equipped Western European Champion.
Richard is survived by his daughter and two sons and will be sorely missed by the powerlifting community at large.
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Featured image: @theipf on Instagram
