By that measure, Goulburn powerlifter Tony Beecham should be furious. Instead, he is a gentle giant of a man.

Standing at roughly six feet tall and weighing between 115 and 125 kilograms, Beecham is made for powerlifting, but maintains a genial demeanour and an enthusiasm for his sport that belies his age.  

The 43-year-old recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, where he took part in the inaugural Anzac International Cup, a competition which pits the best powerlifters from both countries against one another. 

Already the owner of several world and national records, Beecham took this opportunity to add to his tally, and set four national records in the Australian Powerlifting League (APL), along with four more national records in the New Zealand Powerlifting League (IPLNZ). 

“I set four records in the Australian federation and I set four records in the New Zealand federation as well,” Beecham said. “The squat for the overall, so [it was a record] across all age groups.”

During the competition, Beecham squatted 285kg raw (meaning without knee-wrapping, which generally increases the squattable weight), bench pressed 150kg, and deadlifted 280kg. 

Once these three components are complete, the total weight lifted is added together to form each competitor’s score, and Beecham’s score of 715 was also a new record. 

Despite his prowess, Beecham is an inherently modest man and was reluctant to praise himself. “Yeah, it’s good,” he said of his success with a smile. 

Part of the reason that Beecham manages to set so many records is that he uses them as motivation to lift heavier and get stronger. “Without sounding arrogant, [the goal] is to set the records, I suppose,” he said. 

But what really spurs him on is his family. “It’s good, too, because my kids come with me, so they see it as well. In one of the videos, you can hear my daughter cheering me on.”

Beecham has no immediate plans for future competitions and will simply look to keep getting stronger.