A York man is hoping to become the second world champion in his house - after his wife.

Clifton-based Paul Wain has become a national powerlifting champion and is now hoping to emulate his wife, Louise, by winning a world title.

Paul, who is a progress coach at York College, will fly out to Chicago in November to contest the World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) world championships, having taken gold at the British Powerlifting Union (BPU) championships in Manchester.

He lifted a combined weight of 702.5kg - consisting of a 287.5kg dead lift, a 250kg squat and 165kg bench press - to be crowned the best in Britain for his weight (90-100kg) and age (45 to 49-year-old) class.

Louise also won her weight and age category at this year’s national championships – which attracted 450 entrants during a week-long competition – before following up that success with victory at the Women’s world championships in the Irish city of Limerick.

The couple are in their first year of national and international competition.

The Wains are both decorated powerlifters (Image: Supplied)

Paul encouraged Louise – a former primary school headteacher who now works in hospitality - to join him at the gym as a means of strengthening an injured shoulder and, then, spotted previously untapped potential in his partner.

"Louise had a frozen shoulder not so long after we got together and was having cortisone injections, but they weren’t solving anything,” Paul said.

"She couldn’t even put her handbrake on in the car and used to ask me to do it for her.

"I thought the best thing for her shoulder would be to join a gym and get it moving, so we started at Pure Gym.

"She couldn’t do anything over her head at first but, when her shoulder improved, she had a deadlifting session and started to do really well.

"I could tell she was strong straightaway when I saw her lifting. You can see when somebody has the genetics for it and she’s got the drive and a committed ethos for training, so it was her idea that we should start competing."

Paul Wain is a progress coach at York College (Image: Supplied)

"We did a beginners’ event first and we have motivated and inspired each other ever since, especially when one of us is higher than the other in the world rankings and, now that she’s a world champion, I want to be, too!"

He added: "To be called out as the British champion was a moment of real elation. Now, I’m looking forward to competing in Chicago, because the American fans are always very loud and enthusiastic.

"I might even buy a new outfit as I used to be under 90kg and I’m growing quite nicely into my under 100kg class."

The pair are now members at the UltraFlex Gym in York, where they receive specialised training from strength and conditioning coach Damian Manning.

"I’ve been going to the gym for more than 30 years but, at UltraFlex, you are surrounded by body builders, powerlifters and strongmen competitors,” he said.

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"It’s great to be able to tap into that experience and expertise."

Louise admits that she owes much of her success, meanwhile, to her husband and is confident that he can also now become a world champion.

She said: "We are each other’s coaches and cheerleaders and I don’t think either of us would have competed on our own.

"Paul’s naturally a very positive person, so he keeps me going and, when I won the world championship, it was an incredible feeling because, as well as performing for yourself, you’re also representing your country.

"He’s incredibly strong and I didn’t see that in myself but, when I started competing in my age and weight class, I began to realise that, comparatively, I was quite strong.

"I’m sure he’d have got there first, but his world championships just happen to be later in the year."