Maurice Megennis

Maurice Megennis took up weightlifting shortly after leaving school in Middleton, Leeds, and one of his first coaches was the former champion, and fellow Leeds man, Nat Thewlis. Not only did Megennis go on to win many regional and national titles, including the British bantamweight title three years in succession 1949-51, he was also victorious on the international stage.

Despite not medaling at the 1950 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and two Olympics (1952 and 1956), Megennis won the silver medal at the 1952 European Championships in Helsinki. Two years later, he was the British Empire and Commonwealth Games bantamweight champion, when he was one of four Englishmen to win gold medals on the opening day of the Games (fellow weightlifter Jim Halliday was another). Also in 1954, Megennis competed as a featherweight in the World Championships at Wien but finished ninth, more than 100lbs behind the eventual winner, reigning Olympic champion Rapael Chimishk’iani of the Soviet Union.

Megennis was an electrician by trade, and did his national service in the early 1950’s in the physical education branch of the RAF, stationed at RAF Melksham in Wiltshire.