Ben Sugarman is hoping to compete at the World Powerlifting Championships in Texas next year after impressing at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Games in Vancouver.

The competition in Canada featured an outstanding father-and-son performance, with Ben, 16 and his dad, Grant, 53, producing a series of strong performances.

The youngster lifter at the event in the under-18 sub-junior 74kg class, Ben won overall bronze after finishing silver in the deadlift, and bronze in the squat and bench – all three personal best efforts. He set new English records in the squat of 172.5kg, deadlift 212.5kg for a combined total of 465kg in his first competition outside of the UK.

Ben, who is from Bushey Heath, also plays rugby for Harrow County and studies at JFS.

Grant Sugarman took silver overall along with silver for the squat and bench and bronze in the deadlift with a total of 545kg in the Masters 283kg class.