Four lifters from Pembrokeshire Power lifting recently competed at the 2013 European Championships and brought home an amazing six gold medals.
 
Jo Mansell
Paul Murphy
Aaron Hoskins
John Stowell

First up was Milford Haven’s Jo Mansell, competing in the 60kg Master 1 class, and she lifted brilliantly, putting ten kilos on her squat (120kg), bench (60kg) and dead lift (145kg) since the British championships in April!

Now just 7.5kg away from the world record dead lift meant she was picked alongside her mentor Paul Murphy to represent Britain in the dead lift team which went on to win best overall and  Jo looks well set to take her second world title in November.
 
She was followed by Paul Murphy (90kg) in the Master 1 class. A neck and shoulder injury meant Paul’s totals would inevitably be well down.

 "There was nothing I could do but see a chiropractor and hope experience would see me through," said Murphy.
Hampered yet determined, Paul broke the world 90kg master squat record (316.5kg) but only did one bench (80kg) and one dead lift (260kg) to take his ninth and tenth European titles.
 
Aaron Hoskins, from Pembroke, was involved in the 110kg open class and came up against the reigning number one from Poland, Artur Chrzaszcz.  Aaron who has quickly come up through the world rankings after taking the Welsh title in February, fourth in the British in April, amazingly brushed all others aside with a squat (317.5kg) bench, (202.5kg) and deadlift (280kg) to take silver in the power lifting and beating Artur to take gold in the dead lift!
 
Haverfordwest’s John Stowell proved why he holds the current world junior dead lift record (110kg)  as he made easy work of smashing the record, showing every one why he is number one and has a lot more to come.
 
“I’m so very proud of all the team,” Paul Murphy told PembrokeshireSport.co.uk. “We now have a short rest and then it is back to the hard work in preparation for the world championships in Chicago in November.”

PHOTOS:
Paul Murphy
Jo Mansell
Aaron Hoskins
John Stowell