A "POWERLIFTING legend" from Kidderminster - who rubbed shoulders with some of the world's strongest men - has retired as honorary president of the World Powerlifting Federation.Brian Smith, who has just retired as honorary president of the World Powerlifting Federation, with a painting of his British Strength Championship win in 1963.

Grandfather-of-three Brian Smith took up weightlifting 52 years ago and was crowned mid-heavyweight British Strength Champion in 1963.

He has since visited 21 countries in 21 years with the sport - also turning his hands to arm wrestling, boxing and charity work - and being named "Powerlifting Legend" at the World Powerlifting Championships in Austria in 1998.

Although ill health has now forced the strongman to quit his prestigious post as honorary president of the WPF, which he co-founded with Austrian Carl Smith at Kidderminster's Gainsborough Hotel in 1999, he is still going strong in other sporting arenas.

The 64-year-old, who co-founded Kidderminster's Union Barbell Club with weightlifting pal Mick Hill in 1983, still coaches nine to 16- year-olds in weight training at Lye Amateur Boxing Club and has been an Amateur Boxing Association judge for 25 years.

He also co-founded the British Powerlifting Organisation in 1994 and European Powerlifting Congress in 1995 - but is most proud to have been the first world powerlifting platform manager, presiding over every International Powerlifting Federation event between 1974 and 1989.

"Without being boastful I've achieved so many things that I can't remember a lot of them now - but I've enjoyed everything I've done and had a wonderful life," the retired carpet weaver of Greaves Gardens said.

"I started training when I was just over 14-and-a-half and now I'm 64 - and I've met all the strongest men and young ladies in the world as world platform manager.

"I stopped powerlifting in 1989 and I've carried on with refereeing since then."

The father-of-two, who trained at Kidderminster Lions Weightlifting Club in Broadwaters, also reached the semi-finals of the World Arm Wrestling Championships in 1978 - three years after he was runner-up in the British Powerlifting Championships after squat lifting 295 kg.

He added: "I'm very proud of being the first world platform manager there has ever been in powerlifting - and that's official."

Mr Smith also hit the headlines as a heavyweight fundraiser - pushing a bed from Kidderminster Hospital to Birmingham Children's Hospital in the 1980s and swimming a mile and running 15-and-a-half miles from Kidderminster to Stourbridge Swimming Baths and back in 1965.

He added: "I didn't want to retire from the WPF but you can only go so far. I'll carry on training in my garage three times a week to keep as fit as I can."