Crooks won two World titles in the benchpress and deadlift at the 2026 World Powerlifting Championships
Cookstown’s Randall Crooks won two World titles in the benchpress and deadlift at the 2026 World Powerlifting Championships which took place recently in Manchester.
The strength athlete who was representing Great Britain in the British Powerlifting Union Federation, had no great expectations and in his own words is a " long way off my best”, but knew if he lifted well he would be "in the mix".
The prestigious championship was held over six days and had 450 lifters from across 16 different countries.
First up was the benchpress. Randall was competing in the masters 90kgs bodyweight category. The local man went 130kgs 137.5kgs 140Kgs with 2 to 1 against on the last lift for jumping the command.
Randall explained: "The benchpress had been poor in the build up and I knew I could only compete against lifters my own age.”
But it was good enough to win the Cookstown strength athlete his 2nd World Title.
Randall said: “The deadlifts had been going great in the build up and I was really looking forward to see how I matched up against the young guys.
He powered up 230kgs, 240kgs and then 250kgs but had 2 to 1 against the 250kgs for a soft knees. This was incredibly disappointing for Randall.
"I thought the referees were a bit harsh because the lift was super strong and I could have held it for 2 minutes if needed. I was battling it out with a lifter from Mongolia and thought when I wasn't awarded the 250kgs my chance was over.”
But 240kgs was enough to out lift all the younger guys and it won Randall his 3rd World Title. The AWPC is a tested federation and therefore forbids the use of any performance enhancing drugs.
Continuing, Randall explained how satisfying it was to win his 3rd World Title: "I'd won my first World Championship in Portugal in 2015. I'd finished 2nd in the USA and 2nd again in Portugal and 4th in Finland.To do it again is a dream come true.”
Randal battles a rare throat condition and "just to be there was a win.”
He said the real driving force in the build up to this year's Championships was the lost of “my good friend and fellow powerlifter Aidy Paul back in April after a short illness.”
"Can remember being down with Aidy a few days before his untimely death and I know at that time he had got news that all hope was gone,” he said.
"But as much as I didn't want to talk about it Aidy was still interested in how I was getting on and what weight I was lifting. He said ‘your the Pitbull you can do this’. So every workout I could hear him say those words and as I went out to lift at the World Championships I could hear him say those words, well we done it Aidy and I dedicate these wins to you!”
Randall would like to thank his long time sponsor David McCracken from DM Specialist Roofing who has helped him immensely over the years, and his training partner Marco Nugent for all his help in the build up and on the day. Also thanks to his physio Lucas Kowalczyk for keeping him injury free.