FITNESS World Weymouth’s Nigel Orme secured two new British records at the South West Push Pull competition in Frome.

Competing in the men’s 70kg masters category, the 53-year- old produced a 90kg bench press as well as dead-lifting 140kg, two feats he could not believe gave him national recognition.

“I set the target of what I was going to lift before I went, but at the time I hadn’t looked at any record lists because I didn’t even consider I’d get anywhere near any of the records,” said Orme, who worked intensely in the gym for 10 weeks to prepare for the event.

“I have trained with weights since I was 14 but I had never done any competitions. I am just like most guys, I go in the gym, train and go home.

“I have done power lifting for years and I’m actually a qualified referee for the competit- ions.

“People kept saying to me for ages that I should actually come and have a go because I do the training anyway. I just enjoy it so much I said I’d give it a go.

“It was only when I when I went up to nominate my third lift they said it was a British record, then it happened again and I couldn’t believe it.”

And now that he has a taste for competitive action, the double British record holder, who has also been invited to compete in an exhibition in Kent over the next few weeks, is setting his sights high for next year.

He added: “I am going to look at what the world record is and try and aim for that. “I want to do the first qualifiers in March to try and make the British Championships. It would be nice to go there and say I have competed.

“They said to me that I had to do it because I have the British record now and I am now the one to chase.”