TWELVE-time world champion powerlifter Bill West made a triumphant return to the sport at the weekend by smashing eight world records.
The Salisbury-born 56-year-old, who announced his retirement from competitive lifting two years ago after securing his 12th world crown in South Africa, has now been named in the British team for this year's prestigious championships in Finland.
West, a self-employed painter and decorator, who first broke into the sport in the mid-1970s, had been expected to attend the Helsinki contest merely as a coach - supporting the bids of fellow Salisbury lifters who have followed in his footsteps
However, as he helped others prepare for the championships, he admits he then realised just how much he had missed the challenge of competing against the world's best.
The city's most successful sportsman, who underwent a triple heart bypass operation ten years ago, chose the UK Championships in Port Talbot, South Wales, as the stage for an unexpected return.
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