Christopher Jenkins is a Welshpowerlifter and martial artist. He is a former junior world powerlifting champion and holds Welsh, British, European and world records in the powerlifts. Jenkins has been described as one of the greatest junior powerlifters of all time. Chris Jenkins is also the former 90 kg and 82.5 kg class World Champion with the World Powerlifting Congress.
Early life
Chris Jenkins was raised in Port Talbot and was a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr. Jenkins began weight training at age 11 to improve his running at school. In 1997 he began boxing with the Welsh Boxing Federation now Welsh Boxing Association and holds an amateur record of 7–0. Jenkins also holds a 1st Danblack belt in Wado Ryu karate under the Bushi Kai.
Powerlifting career
Chris Jenkins was coached in his teens, by Welsh weightlifter Mike Brown at his private home gym in Margam, Port Talbot. Brown also coached double Commonwealth weightlifting medalist Gareth Hives. Chris Jenkins competed in his first British powerlifting championships in 2000, winning the 18/19 teenage class and broke the British and European senior deadlift record of 282.5 kg at 82.5 kg bodyweight. In 2001 Jenkins won his first junior world title in Dallas, Texas. Jenkins holds the junior world record deadlift of 334 kg at 90 kg bodyweight and has been described as one of the biggest talents in British powerlifting, at senior level he also holds the British squat, deadlift and total records at 82.5 kg and 90 kg. The records include a 360 kg squat and 322.5 kg deadlift in the 82.5 kg division set at the WPC world powerlifting championships in Palm Beach, Florida. In the 90 kg division Jenkins also holds the 90 kg British squat record with 372.5 kg and deadlift record with 335 kg set at Folkestone, England. Jenkins also holds a WR deadlift in the International Strength Association with 352.5 kg set at 90 kg bodyweight in Fort Worth, Texas in 2007.
Mugging incident
On 29 January Chris Jenkins managed to foil a purse snatching. A 26-year-old male attacked an 81-year-old lady at the Oxfam store in Port Talbot, taking her bag and purse. Taken from the South Wales Evening post "Mr Jenkins used a judo throw to floor the suspect and stayed with him until the police arrived".
