Another Golden Moment For Powerlifter Wesley
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Royal Navy submariner and Navy Leaders champion Wesley McGuinness has achieved the gold standard in powerlifting again: this time with a gold medal at the 2025 English Bench Press Championships.
And the powerhouse grabbed the top spot on the podium with a personal milestone: he achieved a 5kg personal best of 200kg, a weight that also represented the heaviest bench press ever achieved by a Royal Navy athlete at a British powerlifting event.
The moment wasn’t without its drama, as the modest father-of-two and HMS Triumph Petty Officer recounted while speaking exclusively to Navy Leaders today (Monday).
He explained: “My first attempt was 190 kilos, and then my second attempt was 200. I got it passed: I got two white lights out of three, but then a few moments later, the jury had a look at the replay, and they disallowed it due to technicality. So I had to go retake it in about six or seven minutes' time.
“So to do 200 for two single reps was a personal best as well. I managed to get it passed by the jury and the referees on my third attempt. And, yeah, I was very pleased.”
Read our in-depth feature on Wesley’s life and career — including the tale of his gold-medal triumph:
Good things come to those who (lift) weight!
As well as the gold medal, Wesley’s feat earned him the title of Third Best Overall Lifter at the championships, which were staged at Moulton College Sports Centre in Northampton.
It also saw him qualify for the upcoming IPF Commonwealth Championships 2026 in Canada.
Asked what the win and PB meant to him, he replied: "From the back end of 2022 and my bicep injury, to come back and hit such a huge milestone in powerlifting, it's very humbling and pleasing.
“And I think it sends a great message out there to other service personnel and the wider powerlifting community that if you do injure yourself, it's not over. With the right tools and mindset and support network, you can really come back stronger in your sport, whether it's powerlifting or a different sport.
“You can come back stronger physically, mentally, emotionally… and your resilience is strengthened as well.”
Of course, this is far from the first time Wesley has hit the heights in a sport that started out as a hobby. In Sun City, South Africa in October 2024 won a gold medal, triumphing in the 105kg bench press category at the International Powerlifting Federation Commonwealth Championships.
And in February this year he scooped a bronze medal in Cardiff, competing at the British Powerlifting Bench Press National Championships despite being in the early stages of a phased training programme targeting the World Classic & Equipped Bench Press Championship in Drammen, Norway.
Looking forward, Wesley certainly has his sights set on further success. He commented: “I've got my first full power event on May 10 in Plymouth since coming back from injury as well, so that's squat bench and deadlift. I've got big big goals I want to hit for this as well.”
And he’s waiting to hear whether he’s won selection to represent Great Britain in Norway later that month, and also for the European Championships in Malta in September.
Whatever the immediate future holds, it’s clear that Wesley’s in a great place with his powerlifting at the moment, and here at Navy Leaders, we couldn't be prouder of, or happier for him.
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You can watch the moment he achieved his PB on the EPA’s English Bench 2025 channel on YouTube