Haverhill powerlifter Matt Jack wins silver medal at the GPC World Powerlifting Championships in Slovakia

It was a case of third time lucky for Matt Jack at the recent GPC World Powerlifting Championships.

In his two previous appearances at the event, Haverhill-based Jack was forced to settle for a pair of fourth-placed finishes in the U100kg category.

However, dropping down to the U90kg section this time around in the Slovakian city of Trnava, Jack was able to return home with a silver medal in his luggage.

The 43-year-old finished in the runner-up position with a total of 665kg, made up of a 260kg squat, a 145kg bench and a 260kg deadlift.

“My weight has gone down a little bit in the last couple of years so the U90kg made the most sense,” said Jack, who trains at Iron Institute in Haverhill.

“It meant a lot to finally get my hands on a medal because I’d been so close before.

“Of course a gold would have been great but I’m really proud with the silver because I had to battle really hard for it.

“There was a lot of pressure going into the deadlift but I managed to get it done.”

Jack, who also won the 4Nations Championship this year, is now taking a little bit of time out of the sport to rest a niggling injury.