INTERNATIONAL powerlifting champion John Russell returned to Kent with two gold medals, a silver and bronze medal and, to top it off, a world record tucked under his belt.

He flew to the stifling climate of Killeen in Texas, USA, to compete against top-class athletes from all over the globe.

Facing stiff competition, John, from the Railway Gymnasium in Ashford, proved his strength by breaking the world record in the squat, Masters III category, with a phenomenal lift of 232.5kg, winning him gold in the squat section.

He didn’t stop there and went on to win his second gold medal bench-pressing the enormous weight of 135kg.

John also took bronze in the dead lift section with 215kg. This meant that John’s combined total was 582.5kg, a score that won him the silver medal overall in the 75kg weight class, Masters III.