SALISBURY'S triumphant trio of Bill West, Lee Steggles and Paul Newell waltzed away from the 2003 World Champion-ships in Vienna with two gold medals, a silver and a sackful of European and world records to further enhance the city's reputation for producing powerlifting titans.

West and Steggles - two giants of a sport that is heaving with heroes - both added more world titles to their bulging trophy cabinets, while relative newcomer Paul Newell made his international debut one to remember by clinching a well-deserved silver.

Legendary lifter West secured his 14th world title in typical style.

The 57-year-old painter and decorator ensured the sport's record books received a whole new look after a captivating performance in front of a packed crowd at the Volks-hauptschule in the Austrian capital.

Competing in the Masters (55-59) section, he opened the contest with a squat of 340kg before seizing his first world record of the contest. Unsur-prisingly, his second was not far behind as he surpassed his 370kg squat with one of 380kg.

And as Sunday's lifting flight continued, West bench-pressed 205kg before pulling a deadlift of 280kg to ensure he bagged that 14th world title.

But he was not finished there.

The atmosphere in the hall was electrifying as the competition compere, Herr Poellendor-fer, revealed West was about to attempt a world record lift of an awesome 315kg.

Three white lights flashed behind him signalling a perfect effort and with it another world record as the staggering combined total of 900kg - almost nine times his body weight - was the highest ever recorded in the 110kg class.

West was also named best Masters lifter of the tournament which proved the icing on the cake.

Afterwards, he told Journal Sport: "I didn't just want to come here and be world champion. I wanted that best lifter award too and I wanted to break some records."

Reflecting on his 900kg total, he added: "That's my biggest in a while. My best ever was 927kg, but that was 11 years ago."

Some 24 hours earlier, the venue had witnessed Steggles' domination of the women's 67.5kg Open class.

A world record squat of 215kg ensured she held a first stage lead of 42.5kg over her main rival, American lifting star Michelle Murawski.

The margin widened after the second as the 41-year-old bench-pressed 117.5kg - 40kg more than the USA legend could muster.

Steggles was in no mood to let her lead slip and after Murawski bowed out on 170kg, the Salisbury grandmother-to-be dead-lifted a personal best 187.5kg to register a new world record total of 520kg.

The gap between first and second place was a mind-blowing 110kg.

Steggles, like West, also took the best Masters award, and was delighted with her day's work. She said: "I was determined to win this one.

"I'd had a couple of setbacks at the beginning of my build up. I had a bad back, a chest infection and flu, but I've got over them and I've done three personal bests today so I can't complain."

In stark contrast to the two champions, who had indicated before flying out, that first place was their sole objective, Newell was understandably cautious.

Having only burst onto the national scene this summer with a fine display at the British Championships in Bournemouth, the 27-year-old researcher for a wine company, was happy to admit Vienna represented a mere learning curve - the next chapter of what he hoped would be a lengthy and successful career in a sport he took up just a few years ago.

But in a fiercely competitive men's 90kg Open category, also staged on Saturday, he was soon down to business.

A personal best squat of 325kg catapulted him into second place after the opening round - just 10kg behind Germany's Savran Ozkan.

The bench-press section proved all-important.

Opening with 145kg, Newell slipped some way behind the majority of his cohorts.

However, few others among the challengers improved on their opening press. France's Eric Athias, acknowledged as one of the favourites, even failed to register a lift and, as a result, was out of the competition.

Newell, intensely focused, slowly increased his points tally, edging up to a 157.5kg press.

Remarkably, only he and Ozkan successfully completed three attempts in this section.

With Athias out of the equation, Newell was still in second place going into the final test. Not that he was aware of it.

The debutant was so wrapped up in his own immaculate preparations, that it was not until the deadlift contest had concluded that he nonchalantly asked team-mate Steggles where he'd finished.

A lift of 262.5kg had ensured he'd kept all other challengers, bar the German champion at bay.

His best ever total of 745kg was 50kg ahead of bronze medalist Thomas Zieglar, also representing the Germans, and the silver slot was secured.

"It's all quite exciting," said Newell. "It was a personal best squat and I equalled my best bench and then if I'm being really honest I've left a bit up there. There's so much more to come.

"It's great knowing that I've done this, but I know I can do even better. I can't believe it really."

Newell was quick to sing the praises of his team mates who had helped him prepare for his baptism on the world stage.

"The British team have all been fantastic. We compete against each other at the British Championships, but you get out here and everyone's helping you, supporting you."

Newell admitted to enduring a few pre-contest nerves.

"You look around at the world class lifters out here and you try not to be overawed by them.

"These are people you've heard about, or read about and suddenly I'm lifting on the same platform as them and I can't believe I've done so well really."