Meet a great local sporting all-rounder: A 52-goal-a-season striker, sprint champion, GB bobsleigh team member and now a successful powerlifter

The versatile 27 year-old sports therapist has a diverse sporting background, and is currently studying for a master’s degree in physiotherapy.

He has won national medals both on the track and in the gym, and if that’s not enough he has competed for the Great Britain bobsleigh team and has spent time as an academy footballer at Norwich City FC.

Watson’s athletics highlight came in 2010 when as a 17 year-old he featured live on Sky TV winning a 4 x 100m bronze while representing Cambridgeshire in the English Schools Athletics Championship.

Watson is also a three times Cambridgeshire Sprint County Champion, and has won numerous county silvers and bronzes. He has a 100m personal best of 11.10 and a fastest 200m of 22.68.

His earliest sporting successes came as a free-scoring centre forward for crack city junior club Netherton United FC.

“I started playing Sunday League football when I was 11 years old and played mainly for Netherton United and Eye United,” Watson said.

“ I scored 52 goals for Netherton one season and was awarded the league golden boot.

“After one game for Eye United I got a phone call from Posh and ended up with them for the remaining 14 weeks of the season.

“Sadly I was not given a contract. I then got selected by my school, Jack Hunt, to attend what was a successful trial for the district team.

“After a game against Leeds I was walking back to my parents car and a Norwich scout approached me and offered me a trial.

“It went well and I ended up playing alongside some apprentices who made the big time.

“I got released for not being greedy enough. Norwich wanted someone who was more direct, which is why they scouted me.

“However, I felt they tried to change the way I played into more of a technical player rather than using my raw talent.”

Watson got into bobsleighing while a sixth former at Jack Hunt School and became an expert brakeman in the four man bob. In addition to operating the brake at the bottom of the course, the brakeman pushes at the start before being the last team member to jump into the sleigh.

“I was on Facebook and saw a sprinter I used to race against called Jordan Smallin who said he had been successful in bobsleigh trials,” Watson added.

“This motivated me to contact GB bobsleigh, and I was offered a trial which I passed with flying colours. I was ranked second on my trial day and at 18 I was the youngest person there.

“The guy who beat me, Ben Simons, became a double Winter Olympian.

“My favourite bobsleigh memory was finishing seventh in the world four man junior championship.”

Unfortunately funding for the sport was reduced and Watson’s opportunities became more limited.

The powerlifting adventure began in 2019, and came about simply because Watson wanted to try something new.

“I really enjoyed the weightlifting side of training so I wanted to see how strong I could be if I focused on it.” Watson said.

“I was awful in my first ever competition and got disqualified due to failing too many lifts.

“In my second competition I squatted 212.5kg, bench pressed 160kg and deadlifted 250kg giving me the win in the Under 93kg weight category with a total of 622.5kg.

“This qualified me for the nationals. I competed in the bench press nationals and came third with a lift of 165kg to win my first national medal.

“I’m confident I will win silver or gold next.

“I have since moved up weight classes to the 105kg class and I have squatted 240kg, bench pressed 190kg and deadlifted 270kg so it’s going well.

“I have not had a chance to do this in competition yet thanks to the pandemic.”