Kai Gajewiak is only 17 but he’s raising the bar in the sport of powerlifting.

The teenager, who lives in Cheltenham and is a student at Hartpury College, has been competing for less than two years but has been picking up awards from day one.

He has recently returned from South Africa where he won the Commonwealth title in the sub junior 59 kilos category, and that followed on from wins in the South West and All England championships.

Next up is the British championship which takes place north of the border later this month, and victory there – he’s the favourite – will earn him selection for Team GB and with it a chance to compete on the international stage.

It has been a meteoric rise for the one-time Cleeve School pupil and he’s on a journey that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

So how did he get into powerlifting?

“It started when I was 12 years old when I began attending fitness classes twice a week at Chi Wai BBA in Cheltenham,” he said.

“I was always quite strong and when I was 16 a couple of teachers at school – Chris Bayliss and Dimitri del Valle – said I should try entering a powerlifting competition.

“They put the idea into my head. I’d played a bit of rugby at the school but it wasn’t really my thing.

“I’m a fan of individual sports. If I mess up it’s down to me, but in a team sport if I mess up it affects the team as well.”

Not that he’s messed up yet.

“My first competition was the South Western Championships at Gym 66 in Cheltenham and I won it,” he said with some pride. “I benched 110 kilos, squatted 135 kilos and dead-lifted 150 kilos.”

And that was just the start.

His figures were similar at the All England championships – “I wasn’t at my best, I didn’t get my best numbers,” he said – but he’s certainly kicked on since then.

At the recent Commonwealth championships, he benched 112kg, squatted 150 and dead-lifted 152.5, adding: “I’ve made massive progress.”

Much of that progress, he says, is down to his coach Matt Kurlinkus and the work they do together at Simply Gym in Cheltenham.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere without him,” said Kai, who stands just over 5ft 6ins. “He really knows his stuff. He’s really strong himself and the super heavyweight champion of the Midlands.”

Kai trains as often as he can, usually five or six times a week – “I try to train each muscle group twice a week,” he explained – and he loves it at Simply Gym.

“The equipment is top quality,” he said. “And there are a wide variety of athletes from beginners through to experts. There’s always someone to look up to who can push you on that bit further.”

So how far does he want to go in the sport?

“I want to go as far as I can,” he said. “If I do well at international level I might move up a weight category.”

If he keeps progressing at the rate he is doing, there is every likelihood that Kai is going to be adding to his burgeoning medal collection in the weeks, months and years ahead.

But he’ll need to keep his studies going as there is little chance of him making a living out of the sport.

“No, that’s not going to happen,” admitted Kai. “There’s no money in powerlifting. I’m looking to work with local companies and potential sponsors to aid my journey. Everything so far has been self-funded and any help would be appreciated.

“I do powerlifting because I love it.”

Singer Jennifer Rush famously belted out the song ‘The Power of Love’ in the 80s… for Kai, it’s the love of power!