World record for Leeds Met's Paralympic Powerlifter

Ali Jawad, who is in his second year of BSc Hons Sport & Exercise Science at our University, lifted 185.5kg - more than three times his bodyweight - in the -59kg class in Malaysia to beat the previous best mark by 10.5kg.

""It still hasn't sunk in yet that I've broken both European and World records, said Ali, "To end the year as worldnumberoneis a life long dream.

"I would like to thank my coach Tom Whittaker and British Weight Lifting (BWL) for their continued support. I've worked so hard since the disappointment of the Paralympics and we are under no illusions that the hard work needs to continue to maintain my ranking."

Ali also won gold at the 2007 Powerlifting European Championships in Greece and became World Junior Champion at the 2008 championships in the United States, but later narrowly missed out on Bronze at the London Paralympics 2012.

Mick Hill, Sports Scholarship Manager, said: "We are extremely proud of Ali's achievement. It's undoubtedly the first time a current Leeds Met Sports Scholar has broken a World Record. He joined us as an accomplished International performer having finished in 4th place at last year's Paralympic Games in London - but this performance puts him on another level. We all hope that he can stay injury free for the next couple of years in the lead up to the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.

"Ali is a fantastic role model for all our students especially his fellow sports scholars," Mick added, "He is living proof that with talent, dedication and the right environment you can combine elite sport and academic endeavour and excel at the highest level."