Brian Hamill
  • Athlete
  • Coach
  • Referee
  • Educator

BrianHamill

13 May 1937 to 24 December 2020

Forty years at Woking Weightlifting Club, a lifetime given to British weightlifting, and two awards that carry his name today.

His two awardsWoking Weightlifting
Brian Hamill in later life, smiling in front of a bookshelf
Brian jerking a barbell at the British Veterans, 1982
A young Brian holding a barbell overhead
Brian presenting trophies at the British Masters, 1995
40+ yrs
coaching at Woking
1979
IWF international referee
172.5kg
World Masters gold, 1985
9
people honoured in his name
His legacy today

Two awards carry his name

Two organisations honour Brian every year, for two different kinds of people.

Weight Lifting Foundation, since 2023

The Brian Hamill Award

For young lifters who give outstanding service to their club. Presented by the charity Brian served as trustee, secretary and Honorary President.

  • £400every year, can be shared
  • Under 23UK and Channel Islands
  • Sarahis daughter funds it

Recipients

  1. 2023
    Faye BriggsWythenshawe WLCAngelique Wallace BourgoinHampshire Barbell Club
  2. 2024
    Rajan NagraWarley WLCSophie BilesLiverpool WLC and LJMU WLC
  3. 2026
    Sean WilsonTeam Cavanagh WLC, Glasgow. British U17 champion at 94 kg

How it works

  1. Clubs nominate members under 23 for what they gave the club that year.
  2. Nominations go by email to the Foundation's chairman in January.
  3. The trustees choose. The award helps with entry fees, travel and kit.
How to nominate
British Weight Lifting, since 2022

Unsung Hero of the Year

The Brian Hamill Unsung Hero of the Year honours the people working behind the scenes, making a difference and supporting others every day. Exactly what Brian did.

  • Annualpart of BWL's achievement awards
  • Since 2022named after Brian
  • Volunteersworking behind the scenes

Winners

  1. 2022
    Jo Calvino
  2. 2023
    Eddie Halstead
  3. 2024
    Aaron Moore
  4. 2025
    Zoe Chandler

How it works

  1. British Weight Lifting chooses the winner each year as part of its annual achievement awards.
A man who dedicated his life to supporting and developing others.David, a friend from the club, on Brian
BWL annual awards
Service to the sport

His contribution to British weightlifting

For more than half a century Brian refereed, governed, funded and taught. British Weight Lifting called him one of its most popular, well known and influential members.

Brian's IWF international referee's card, 1979
1979

International referee

IWF Category One, eligible for World Championships and Olympic Games.

Brian in a suit and tie
1996 to 2003

BWL Board

Seven years on the Board of British Weight Lifting, and a regular jury member at the British Senior Championships.

Brian presenting trophies at the British Masters, 1995
Chairman

British Masters

Presenting at the 1995 British Masters, and chairman of British Masters Weightlifting by 2002.

Weight Lifting Foundation logo
£20,000

Weight Lifting Foundation

Trustee and secretary of the charity. In 2016 alone it gave £20,000 so under-19s could reach distant competitions, plus cash rewards for PBs and British records.

Brian watching a young lifter set up for a pull
Youth first

Schools and young lifters

He lent his own kit to schools, never charged under-13s at his club, and set up a postal clean and jerk contest that drew around 400 entries.

Brian with other masters lifters at an international competition
Abroad

Masters on the world stage

He lifted for Great Britain at masters level, winning gold at the 1985 World Masters Open. At home he was British champion every year from 1982 to 1990.

European Weightlifting Federation Award of Honour for Brian Hamill of Woking
EWF honour

European recognition

The European Weightlifting Federation's Award of Honour, for duties to weightlifting over many years.

His case covered in stickers from competitions across Europe
12 clubs

Growing the sport

He tracked down 12 Surrey clubs doing Olympic lifting and ran a clean and jerk team contest for them, to lower the barrier for newcomers.

The Power House, Woking Leisure Centre

Woking Weightlifting

Brian ran the club for decades as a Centre of Excellence for Olympic weightlifting. He coached lifters from under-11s to veterans, and athletes from other sports too: a British Lion, pole vaulters, and Commonwealth Games throwers including a javelin gold medallist.

The club has produced many champion Weightlifters in every age group.Brian, describing his club, 2015
Brian with club members in the Woking gym, 1999
Brian training in the Centres of Excellence shirt
40+years Brian coached at the club
8 to 9competitions a year he hosted, setting up the platform himself
U11 to vetschampions in every age group, in his words
2018handed the club to Shaun Joffe, asking it stay focused on youth
A Woking family

The Chea brothers

Brian wrote proudly in his bulletin of the Cambodian lifting family Chea: Chi, Chris and Koing, three brothers set to lift at the same national championships.

Chris69 kg, 2010

British and English champion. Joined the World Class Lifting squad and pushed for a Commonwealth Games place.

Koing94 kg, 2010

The eldest. English Championships silver in 2010 with a competition best of 261 kg.

ChiU17 to senior

The youngest. London and South East champion at 14 with several British schools titles, and still lifting for Woking at the 2023 British Championships.

The Chea brothers in the local newspaper
Brian coaching Chris the snatch at the club
WOKING RESULTS
1world title
15British titles
18first places
3second places
1982
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1983
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1984
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1985
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1985
Brian HamillWorld Masters championColorado Springs, 67.5 kg, age 45 to 49. 172.5 kg total
1st
1986
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1987
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1988
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1989
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
1990
Brian HamillBritish champion
1st
2010
Chris CheaBritish and English champion69 kg. 110 snatch, 142 clean and jerk, 252 kg total
1st
2010
Koing CheaEnglish Championships94 kg. A competition best of 261 kg total
2nd
2010
Chi CheaLondon and South East U17 championAged 14, all personal bests. 128 kg total
1st
2019
Emily PursehouseBritish Age Group championU23 76 kg. 168 kg total
1st
2019
Clarissa MullemBritish Age Group championU15 59 kg. 130 kg total
1st
2019
Sarah WiltshireEngland Grand Prix winner76 kg. 184 kg total
1st
2020
Clarissa MullemBritish and English Age Group championU17 59 kg. 140 kg total
1st
2021
Laura HollobonBritish championSenior 59 kg, virtual championships. 183 kg total
1st
2021
Jamie MabroukBritish Masters40 to 44, 81 kg, virtual championships. 225 kg total
2nd
2022
Sarah WiltshireBritish Senior championDerby Arena. 203 kg total
1st
2023
Chi CheaBritish Championships89 kg, Manchester Central. 262 kg total
8th
2024
Sarah WiltshireBritish Championships81 kg, best clean and jerk in the class. 200 kg total
2nd

The club through the years

Woking lifters in club kit
Brian watching a session in the sports hall
Club photos from the archive

Shaped by Brian at Woking

Caroline CharlesReferee and trustee

Trained at Woking from 1988. Brian pushed her to qualify as a coach and referee, and later to join the Foundation as a trustee.

Mark HillCoach, Locker 27

Coached by Brian at Woking, then helped run competitions behind the scenes as Brian's health declined.

Shaun JoffeChairman from 2018

Arrived in 2009 with an MSc and little lifting experience. Brian coached him and built his career; he went on to seven years at the English Institute of Sport.

Research and writing

Publications

He once hoped to become a doctor. Instead he brought that curiosity to coaching, and his research still shapes the guidance that keeps young lifters safe.

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 1994, 8(1), pages 53 to 57

Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training

A survey of 13 to 16 year olds over 80,000 hours of training. With qualified coaching, weightlifting proved one of the safest sports in school.

0.0013injuries per 100 hours of weightlifting
6.20for schoolchild soccer, 4,800× higher
Read the paper

Injuries per 100 hours

Log scale. Each grid line is ten times the one before.

Schoolchild soccer6.2
UK rugby1.92
USA basketball0.03
Weight training0.012
Adolescent powerlifting0.0027
Weightlifting0.0013
0.0010.010.1110
315citationsGoogle Scholar, October 2026

Cited in the guidance on young lifters

  1. CSEP2008Canada
  2. NSCA2009USA, youth
  3. BJSM2014International consensus
  4. BWL2018Co-written by Brian
  5. AAP2020US paediatricians
  6. NSCA2023USA, weightlifting

BWL Youth Weightlifting Position Statement

Co-written with Rich Kite and Rhodri Lloyd. Published by British Weight Lifting in 2018.

Read the statement

The Supporters' Bulletin

He wrote and edited it for years: technique, research and kit for new clubs. The UKSCA recommended it to coaches.

UKSCA article
Have any readers other ideas on how to grow more lifters?

Brian, closing a 2016 Bulletin. He never stopped asking.

1937 to 2020

His story

Brian as a baby in a high chair
1937

Born in Cairo

13 May. Armenian roots on his mother's side, Irish Hamills on his father's.

Young Brian with a barbell overhead
1950s

First barbell

Grows up in Lincoln, plays jazz cornet, and starts lifting at 17 or 18.

Brian and Jayne on their wedding day
Family

Marries Jayne

Their daughter Sara becomes his great pride.

1976

Woking Weightlifting Club

The club is established. Brian goes on to coach there for more than 40 years. About the club

Brian's IWF referee's card
1979

International referee

IWF Category One, eligible for World Championships and Olympic Games.

Brian pulling a loaded barbell in the club gym in the 1980s
1982 to 1990

Nine British titles

British champion every year for nine years straight, from 1982 to 1990.

Published results of the 1985 World Masters Open, listing Brian Hamill, Great Britain, 172.5
1985

World Masters gold

67.5 kg, age 45 to 49, 172.5 kg in Colorado Springs.

Brian smiling, leaning on his car in the countryside
1994

Published research

Shows school weightlifting is far safer than many school sports. Cited more than 300 times since.

Brian presenting trophies at the British Masters, 1995
1995

British Masters

Presenting the trophies, years before he chaired British Masters Weightlifting.

1996 to 2003

BWL Board

Seven years helping to run the sport nationally.

2012

50 kg at 75

Still clean and jerking at the club, with the old crew watching.

Brian smiling
2018

Passing the bar

Hands Woking to Shaun Joffe, asking that it stays an Olympic weightlifting club with a focus on youth.

2020

Brian died on 24 December, after a short illness, aged 83.

Woking lifters in club kit
2022

The Memorial Open

Woking holds the first Brian Hamill Memorial Open, and British Weight Lifting names its Unsung Hero of the Year award after him. See the Unsung Hero award

Weight Lifting Foundation logo
2023

The Brian Hamill Award

The Weight Lifting Foundation presents the first Brian Hamill Award to young lifters who give outstanding service to their clubs. See the award and its recipients

In their words

Memories

He was only too willing to put me in my place... but also help me develop.
Shaun Joffe, Woking WLC