Ashley has his sights set on representing two different countries in two different sports at two different major championships!

Two years ago the 30 year-old physiotherapist competed in the Winter Olympics as the brakeman for the Jamaican Bobsleigh team.

And now he is on the verge of England selection as a powerlifter at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in South Africa later this year, having just won the English Bench Press Championship.

Watson was a National medal-winning sprinter as a youth, and developed a love for lifting weights when he saw the advantage his extra muscle was giving him over other sprinters.

“I first stepped into the gym as part of my athletics training,” said Watson. “When I was competing in athletics, and then bobsleigh, I ended up enjoying the gym sessions to the point I would look forward to them more than the sprinting sessions.

"Also I found I was getting much stronger than other athletes. At the age of 18, and without much coaching, I bench pressed 105kg. I was doing a lot of Olympic style lifts, cleans and snatches, squats, bench press etc and loved it.”

As a Bobsleigh brakeman, Watson needed high levels of both speed and strength. Realising his Bobsleigh career might be coming to an end, and with his competitive instincts still alive, he decided to give powerlifting a real go.

“Bobsleigh involves training like a sprinter and a weightlifter, so a lot of the movements cross over. In powerlifting you do not have to be an athlete, but I still do plyometrics (jumps) and a few sprints for lower limb power.

"The main difference is I'm now training to specialise in pure strength rather than the functional strength which was important for bobsleigh. I did not find this a hard transition, in fact the training is much easier if I'm honest!

"It can be mentally hard to do sprints in awful weather to the point where I've vomited and struggled to walk to my car afterwards!”

The sporting all-rounder had seen the world over recent years, having bobsleighed in Austria, Switzerland, France, USA , Canada, China, Germany and Italy and powerlifted in South Africa and France.

Watson’s personal bests would be unimaginable to mere mortals with a bench press competition best of 205kg, though he has lifted 210kg in the gym. His squat statistics are 255kg in competition and 270kg in the gym with a competition deadlift best of 285kg.

“I don't understand why I'm so good at bench press, " said Watson. “But it just seems a natural and easy movement to do. I can go to the gym unbothered and bench press well, whereas I need to be very mentally ready for squat and deadlift. I do bench only competitions as well as full power events which involve all three lifts.

“I won the British Bench Press gold last year and took silver this year. Now this year, I have won the England Bench Press Championship with my best ever completion lift of 205kg. This figure is also an East Midlands record.”

Watson believes that, subject to his Commonwealth Championships selection being confirmed, he has a realistic chance of winning a medal.

The sport is not currently in the Olympics, but this may change as it is already in the Paralympics.

Peterborough might soon become known as a city which is home to a man who has competed for two countries in two Olympics at two different sports.

Watson's next big challenge is likely to be the European Championship in Turkey later in the year.

He is looking for sponsorship from local businesses and can be contacted at [email protected].