A university student inspired by former world's strongest man Eddie Hall has won two gold medals at an international powerlifting competition.

Hasan Amjad, from Wolverhampton, represented England in the under-105kg junior men's equipped full-power and equipped bench press events at the 2026 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Canada.

The Keele University computer science student took up the sport after watching videos of Stoke-on-Trent's Hall, who was named world's strongest in 2017.

Amjad said hearing the national anthem on the podium in September was a special moment, having always envisioned representing his country.

"I thought I'd reach that point in my mid-30s, so to have done it much earlier is very satisfying," the student said.

Amjad, who is in his final year of studying computer science, entered his first competition in July 2022, deadlifting 250kg (551lbs).

After setting several West Midlands junior records, he qualified for the English Championships, where he won his category and claimed the national title, earning a place at the Commonwealth Championships.

Balancing his training with his studies has not always been easy, he added, explaining there were times when he did not feel powerlifting had "much of a space" in his routine.

"I found staying motivated to keep on powerlifting while studying at university to be a very tough challenge," Amjad said.

"I had plenty of self-doubt creep in when I went through periods of poor training, where I knew I wasn't performing at my best."

The athlete, who was also awarded a sports scholarship for the current academic year, said joining West Midlands Powerlifting Club became a turning point.

"Being surrounded by national and world champions was something that really gave me self-belief that I could one day become one too," he said.

Amjad said he hoped to represent Team GB in 2027, while completing his degree.

He encouraged others to pursue their passions and stay committed.

"Be able to show up on your best days but also still have the means to show up on your bad days and get the work done," he said.