A YOUNG powerlifter from Tameside is weighing up what it takes to become a world champion as he raises the bar for a continental challenge.
Eddie Bradley has just finished his A-Levels at Ashton Sixth Form College but it’s now results of a different kind he’s hoping to achieve – representing England at the Commonwealth Powerlifting World Championship in South Africa no less.
The 18-year-old, from Droylsden, will be taking part in his first international tournament for classic powerlifting from October 5 to 13, after excelling in regional and national contests representing the North West, which was when he really felt nervous for the first time as a powerlifter.
Looking ahead to what awaits him, Eddie told the Correspondent: “People from different continents will be there. The way it works is you have to be selected either rank number two or first in nationals.
“You go there to compete for your country and when you add up all the points across the weight classes, that decides who the winning country is. It’s similar to the Commonwealth Games, where the countries in the Commonwealth will be involved.”
Eddie, who is the 74kg national champion, could be up against a range of opponents and will be joined by a fellow Brit in the African continent.
“Morgan Caulkin will be there too, he came second against me in the nationals,” said the teenager. “He’s very good and I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
“There’s an age class as well as a weight class so, in terms of just the weight class, I think it will be around 10 or 12 I’ll be competing against. If you include the three age classes, it will be around 40. I’ll be in the Under-18s category.”
Eddie trains four times a week on average these days at The Gym Group on Ashton Old Road and has been preparing meticulously for when he travels to Sun City.
“I’ve been more consistent with my nutrition and sleep and just being more strict with my training,” he explained. “I can’t really get away with slacking here and there because I’m going to be against the best in other countries on a global stage.
“It’s going to be like a holiday in the sense that it’s nice and sunny where I’ll actually be competing but I am there to win.
“I’m going in there as the number one nomination. I’m very confident. I’ve put up high numbers. Honestly, if I perform at my best, I do think I’m up there.”
He was first inspired to hit the gym around five years ago by those around him.
“I started working out at 13, then 14 it was the weights. It was more of a vicarious reinforcement from my dad because he’d just be doing it. He wouldn’t push me to do it, but he’d constantly be in the gym after or before work, and I’d just hear his music up in the attic and the weights banging so that got me interested.
“My friends joined the gym, that got me interested. So it was a combination of my friends being eager to join the gym and my dad showing me what lifting’s about.”
As he looks to put Tameside on the map, Eddie outlines the characteristics he feels a good powerlifter needs and identifies who within the sport inspires him.
“I think you have to be quite strong physically but also have a strong will and determination,” the teenager said. “It’s very slow in terms of progression, especially when you get really good at it.
“It’s very hard to put more weight on the bar so I think you have to be patient and have a lot of willpower to be able to just push through a bad session. You have to consistently work hard every time you go into the gym.
“Jurins Kengamu started very late at the age of 27 but to see his progression in the World Championships and to eventually becoming a world champion has been inspirational.
“He came eighth then sixth, then eighth again, then seventh and then he wins eventually after six years which is, like, wow. The way he did it too was incredible.”
Powerlifting has been part of the Paralympics since 1984 but will we ever see it feature at the Olympics? Eddie doesn’t think we will any time soon.
“There’s too many federations. I think if they buck up their ideas, put everyone in the same federation and keep pushing towards it, I do see it happening but not anytime soon, maybe in a decade or so.
“Looking at the stats, going back four years, a 400 kilo total would win you nationals. I had a total of 520 to win nationals in the same weight class. In terms of exposure and the amount of people competing, it’s ridiculous. It’s one of the fastest growing sports.”
Away from the weights, Eddie has aspirations to embark on a teaching career and will study Educational Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University at the start of the new academic year.
“I’ve always just wanted to teach something that I’m very passionate about,” stated Eddie. “When I picked my A-Levels, I chose subjects around what I was really good at – English Language, Psychology and Philosophy, so all essay based.
“Psychology turned out to be my favourite one. I want to teach that and share my passion with students.”
As he chases his dreams in South Africa, Eddie has also launched a fundraising campaign to help towards covering the costs of travel, accommodation and other necessary expenses.
If you would like to sponsor him, visit his GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-edward-in-showcasing-england-on-the-global-stage