NEC, Nuclear Energy Components, have manufactured two trophies for the Sheffield Powerlifting Championship 2023 that was held this weekend at Sheffield City Hall. Sheffield based SBD Apparel put together the event in partnership with the International Powerlifting Federation. Sheffield 2023 showcased the stars of the sport in a high-profile event with the largest prize fund in powerlifting history.
The event was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, brought together 12 men and 12 women to battle it out for world records and the title of champion of champions.
The second and third place trophies for the event have been machined and fabricated at NEC’s facility in Bradwell, in the Hope Valley.
David Greenan, Sales Director at NEC said “We are pleased to have been asked to supply the trophies, the project was a step away from our usual work for the nuclear, oil & gas, aerospace, automotive and power generation sectors but is a great example of how the high quality, high precision milling and fabrication skillset we have are transferrable to a diverse mix applications.”
Luke Brocklehurst, Brand Director at SBD Apparel said “Paul and the team at NEC are industry leading, talented professionals and it was a pleasure to see their work first hand during our collaboration. NEC brought its expertise to bear with the creation of the 2nd and 3rd place trophies for SBD’s inaugural international powerlifting championship, held at Sheffield City Hall and seen around the world. NEC along with artist Steve Mehdi created something truly unique and never before seen in the sport of powerlifting. It was a pleasure working with Paul and the team – NEC are a celebration of British manufacturing and I hope our paths cross again.”
The trophies, designed by local sculptor, Steve Medhi said “The influence of Sheffield on my work has been enormous and one of the things I’ve loved about Sheffield is it has a strong heart. SBD’s presence in the powerlifting world, their connection with local manufacturing and their attention to detail in everything they do made me realise that we needed to come up with something that’s completely different to what’s on the market at the moment. You only have to look at the build up to this competition and realise that these are dedicated professionals and we wanted to produce some trophies that match that level of dedication. The second and third place are linked to the manufacturing of steel in Sheffield, so choosing it was an obvious choice because of Sheffield’s reputation that goes back many years.”