By Hayley Robinson

A weightlifter has powered his way into the record books less than two years after conquering a heart attack that left him on a life support machine.

Fourteen stone Mark Macey, from Sittingbourne, smashed the squat record in the masters one division of the South East Powerlifting Championships by lifting 250kg – equivalent to more than three washing machines. The record had previously stood at 242kg for the last six years.

His success at the competition, which he won by also bench pressing 137.5kg and deadlifting 215kg, means the 47-year-old has qualified to compete in the British Championships in March 2010.

It is an achievement made even more amazing by the fact that less than two years ago, Mark suffered a near-fatal heart attack while walking to buy a pint of milk. He collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing for about seven minutes but was saved by a passing St John Ambulance paramedic who resuscitated him and called an ambulance.

Mark was rushed to hospital where doctors hooked him up to a life support machine to keep him alive. After laying unconscious for 18 days, he awoke to the relief of his wife Tracy and their three children.

He spent six weeks in hospital battling to get back on his feet but soon after returning home and after getting the green-light from his cardiologist and GP, he returned to Nobby’s gym in Sittingbourne to continue his passion for power lifting.

Mark, who works as a sewerage engineer for Southern Water, said: "It was great to get back into the gym. I would have been devastated if I could not have gone back to weightlifting. I love the challenge of it, trying to lift more than before."

The competition is not the first time Mark has tasted success. In 2000 he took part in the European Powerlifting Championships and came third overall in his weight class.

He now plans to intensify his training regime from early next year in preparation for the British Championships and setting a new record has given him a big boost.

He said: "It felt fantastic. At my age you don’t get to break many records and it was amazing to do it after what I have gone through."