Powerlifting Royal Navy submariner and Navy Leaders champion Wesley McGuinness has been selected to represent his country again.

The athlete will pull on his Team GB kit for the seventh time at the 2025 European Classic Bench Press Championships in St Paul’s Bay, Malta, at the end of September.

And hot on the heels of the recent confirmation that he’d made the national team came a second welcome piece of news: he’s been nominated as Team Captain at the forthcoming inaugural Hands Across the Sea Championships in November.

This groundbreaking twin-location event, styled as “bridge between lifters across continents” will feature both U.K. and U.S athletes, and is intended to showcase international talent and celebrate the strength of the global powerlifting community.

The first meeting will be taking place in Plymouth and is scheduled for November 22; in 2026 the second leg will take place across the Pond in the United States.

Wesley’s trainer Paul Foran has also been invited to serve as Head Coach. Navy Leaders is supporting Hands Across The Sea and will be attending the event and the evening banquet as well.

Wesley said: “We’re honoured to be part of this special event and look forward to representing our team with pride. Huge thanks to the British Powerlifting executive board for placing their trust in two Royal Navy submariners to lead this team and deliver results for our country.”

He added: “Without the support of NL and others none of this would have been possible, so I’m very appreciative.”

Wesley also admitted he was delighted to be representing RN and Team GB again in Malta and added: “All the hard work seems to be paying off. I’m just enjoying the journey for this year.

“Next year’s looking even more promising… we’ve got the Commonwealths in Canada, and we’ve got Hands Across The Sea: America’s going to be hosting us next year in Las Vegas, which is quite exciting… and we’ve got the World [Championships] in Poland. Everything just seems to be taking off.” 

Wesley said he had already received more than 30 applications to get involved with Hands Across The Sea. Anyone else interested in getting involved can follow the link below to register their interest.

• Hands Across The Sea: Expression of Interest Form