WEYMOUTH powerlifter Nigel Orme not only became a double gold medallist at the BPU British Championships in Andover on Saturday, he also set two new national records in the process.

The 54-year-old bettered his own British records in the deadlift and bench press to claim first place in both and qualify for the WPC World Championships in Portugal this November.

Orme, competing in the masters three weight division, won the bench press with a lift of 97.5kg – an improvement of 2.5kg on his previous best.

He did go for the magical mark of 100kg but couldn’t quite get his arms locked out to get the job done.

While in the deadlift, Orme bettered his British record of 150kg by a full 10kg, fully underlining the excellent shape he is in at the moment.

Reflecting on a great day at the Valley Leisure Centre in Hampshire, Orme said: “It was my first time at the British Championships so to be a double champion and get two new records is great.

“After the competition I phoned a few people back in Weymouth to let them know and then it went up on Facebook.

“I think I was a bit shell-shocked with it all and I didn’t really sleep much on Saturday night as the adrenaline was still pumping.”

He went on to add: “You see some people do well in qualifying and then when they get to the championship the other competitors from around the country blow them away.

“My approach is that if I turn up and try and better what I have done before then that’s all I can ask for.

“I did that and I came away with two records and two gold medals.”

Orme will now turn his attention to the worlds this autumn – and he has at least one goal in his sights.

“I’ll definitely be looking to go over 100kg in the bench press,” he said. “I’ve been doing it in the gym but it’s not happened in competition yet.”