Having recently booked his place at the Masters World Championships, weightlifter Russell Turner hopes to come home with a podium place when he embarks on the event in September – set to be the final event of his career.
Turner, from Wattisfield, ensured he would be travelling to Finland for the Worlds when he lifted the qualifying weight of 206kg at the British Championships in Bangor, Wales in April.
The Bury Town fitness coach, who made the move to Ram Meadow with Paul Musgrove last summer, having been together at Stowmarket Town, is watching the days tick by until he gets the chance to bow out from the sport with glory.
“My training is the best it’s ever been. My coach has been working on my weaknesses and I’m hitting numbers that I normally hit in competition, but in training,” he said.
“I’m confident that I’m going to go there and give the best account of myself.
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“The preparation is going really well. I’m counting down the days, I’ve got a little board in my gym.
“(The feeling is) a combination of terror and ‘this is what I do’. I’ve got everyone watching me and I’m going to use their energy to fuel what I achieve on that day.”
This will be the 48-year-old’s maiden appearance on the world stage but he has competed in the European Championships twice.
He admitted that he was out of his depth in his first outing in 2022, where he came home with a 10th-placed finish, but Turner – who has worked with England Golf and England’s football teams as a fitness coach – achieved a bronze medal at the Euros in 2023.
“Medalling at the Europeans, I was at the top of my game,” he said.
“I thought ‘let’s go to the next level and try to go to the Worlds and I’ve managed to do it.
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“This is my last competition, I’ve put it down to my age and the training it requires, and I’m going to attempt to get on the podium at the World Championships, why not?
“In terms of nerves, anxiety and fear, I feel like I use those now to perform better rather than perform worse. My best lifts always seem to happen on the platform now.”
The World Championships will take place between September 5-14.