Powerful dad hungry for more silverware
Mark’s wee boy is his inspiration
Paisley powerlifter Mark Fulton is on the hunt for more trophies in a bid to silence his fiercest critic – his six-year-old son.
In the space of 18 months, the former Kelburne Hockey Club player has gone from knowing little about the sport to being one of the best in the country.
Having already won the World Championships in Belgium earlier this year, Fulton followed it up with another gold at the recent Scottish Open Championships.
And success has never been far away – in the seven competitions he has contested he has never finished outside of the top two.
But for some, silver isn’t good enough.
A second place finish at the British Championships would have been viewed as a fantastic achievement by most.
But Fulton laughed as he explained his son, Max’s reaction to him returning home with the runners-up prize.
He joked: “It was a real dagger to the heart.
“I have never finished outside of the top two at any competition that I have entered so it has got to the point that both my boys just expect a medal.
“Max is six-years-old and he is probably my harshest critic.
“When I finished second at the British Championships and told him I didn’t win, he simply asked, ‘why not?’.
“It was funny, but it drives me on to continue to improve.
“My youngest, Ben is three years old and he is probably aware that I am away for competitions, but he is too young to properly understand.”
It has been a whirlwind couple of years for Fulton, who still serves as Kelburne’s president and occasionally turns out for the side.
But he revealed it was his semiretirement from the sport that drove him on to trying something new.
Training at Pro- Life and keeping fight for his job as a PE teacher at St Andrew’s Academy has been enough motivation – though Fulton admits that there were some raised eyebrows when he told of taking up the sport.
Slender in build, he doesn’t look like your stereotypical weightlifter. But as he continues to dominate competitions in his 82.5kg category, he has already proven that he is capable of battling it out with the best.
On his way to winning the Scottish Open Championships, Fulton squated personal best of 192.5kg, while achieving 130kg on the benchpress. But it was his deadlift of 260kg that edged him ahead to seal top spot by 12.5kg.
He added: “I think people were a bit like, ‘what is it you are doing again?’ There were a few raised eyebrows when I first started
“After I finished playing hockey, I was looking for something to keep me ticking over in the gym.
“I wanted to set an example to my two kids by keeping fit, so I started lifting weights.
“I never really thought anything of it until a few people said that I was actually quite good at it and should enter some competitions.
“I just thought, why not, in all honesty.
“At first a lot of people weren’t exactly sure what it was I was actually doing.
“Trying to equate what each weight was is hard as no-one can really picture it.
“So, I have to tell them that I’m lifting the equivalent of half a car, or a full vending machine and things like that.
“It’s been good for the pupils I teach at the school as well. Sometimes they will say that they can’t do something, and then they realise what they have said and know what is coming.
“You can see them rolling their eyes, thinking, ‘ here he goes again’.”