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Dunloy teenager Adam Gault has been crowned world powerlifting champion<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
A 17-year-old from Dunloy has become a <\/span>world powerlifting champion<\/span><\/strong>, producing the performance of his young career to defeat some of the strongest teenage lifters on the planet in a title battle decided by just <\/span>2.5kg<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Adam Gault has been crowned <\/span>IPF U93kg Sub-Junior World Champion<\/span><\/strong> at the 2026 World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa \u2014 completing a remarkable rise from taking up competitive powerlifting at 14 to standing on top of the world podium three years later.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
And the scale of the achievement is underlined by the competition Adam faced. At just 17, he was one of the youngest athletes fighting at the top end of the category: <\/span>all but one of the other leading lifters were 18 years old<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Adam arrived at the championships ranked fourth among a field of 14 of the world\u2019s strongest young lifters.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
He left as World Champion.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
World title decided on the final lift<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
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There was almost nothing separating Adam and his closest rivals as the competition reached its dramatic conclusion.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
American Ethan Cohen <\/span><\/strong>had amassed a 747.5kg total, while <\/span>Mexico\u2019s Dante Urquiza <\/span><\/strong>finished on 745kg and fellow <\/span>Mexican Jean Carlo Espin <\/span><\/strong>on 742.5kg.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Adam\u2019s chance to become World Champion came down to his <\/span>third and final deadlift<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The successful attempt took Adam\u2019s combined total to <\/span>750kg<\/span><\/strong>, putting the 17-year-old into first place and securing the world crown by only <\/span>2.5kg<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Just <\/span>7.5kg separated the top four lifters in the world<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 Adam on 750kg, Cohen on 747.5kg, Urquiza on 745kg and Espin on 742.5kg.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
It was an extraordinary finish to an exceptionally tight contest, with Adam delivering when the world title depended upon one final lift.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A huge 35kg personal-best improvement<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
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His winning performance was also a major leap forward from his previous competition best.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\n270kg squat<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 a 7.5kg personal best<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n182.5kg bench press<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 a 12.5kg personal best<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n297.5kg deadlift<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 a 10kg personal best<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n750kg total<\/span><\/strong> \u2014 a huge 35kg improvement on his previous best of 715kg<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
Alongside his overall World Championship gold, Adam collected <\/span>silver in the bench press<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>bronze in the deadlift<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
But his contribution did not end with the individual medals.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Adam was one of five scoring lifters for Great Britain in the men\u2019s Sub-Junior team competition. Winning his weight class secured the <\/span>maximum 12 team points for GB<\/span><\/strong>, helping the squad finish as the <\/span>second-best men\u2019s Sub-Junior team in the world<\/span><\/strong> and earning Adam another silver medal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Head GB team coach Tom Morgan<\/span><\/strong> said he was incredibly proud of the team\u2019s performances at the World Championships and particularly pleased to see how Adam\u2019s confidence and belief in himself had grown over the past year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
He believes there is much more still to come from the Dunloy teenager.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
British records fall on the world stage<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
Adam did not simply return home with a world title.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
His performance in South Africa also rewrote the record books.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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