Ali Jawad is a British Paralympic powerlifter in the British weightlifting world-class program, competing in the ~59k weight class. He is currently based in Leeds, where he is working towards a degree in sports science. Jawad was born without legs and attempted a number of sports, such as Judo, before finding his place in Paralympic powerlifting.

Despite suffering from Crohn’s disease, he’s been competing internationally for nine years, including two Paralympics, two Worlds, two Europeans, and two Commonwealth Games. I spoke with him on a weekend in September, following a talent ID event hosted by British Weight Lifting, where Jawad had been invited as a coach and athlete.

Paralympic powerlifting is quite a niche sport. What advice can you offer for any coaches or athletes that might wish to get further involved?

Paralympic Powerlifting is probably the hardest sport to medal at in the Paralympics, no disrespect to any sport of course. What makes it so different is that competitors are grouped into bodyweight classes and not disability, so everyone is against each other. You're a true world class athlete; however, it is an incredibly hard sport that requires you to give up your whole life in order for that perfect performance. The sport teaches you a lot of life lessons; it makes you realize how hard you have to work in order to achieve your dreams.

You actually became world champion this year, a momentous occasion no doubt. How does it feel attaining this status?

After the heartbreak and controversy of the 2012 London Paralympics, it was the greatest moment of my career. I was on the verge of retirement after the Paralympics due to my Crohn’s disease and that fact things were just not going my way; I didn’t think it was meant to be for me. However, I thought if I put everything in place regarding controlling my Crohn’s disease, becoming healthy, then I may have a good shot at competing at the world level. The world championships were a culmination of all the struggle, pain, sacrifice that I’ve overcome since my diagnosis. It was such a special but emotional day.

In addition to world champion, you've continually proven yourself to be one of the best in the sport, by breaking your world record over and over again now. That must feel amazing.

Being world champion in your sport is one thing, but to hold a world record is the icing on the cake. A world record means you're the greatest in your sport ever. It was a massive surprise when I broke it, especially in such a highly stressful environment at the World Championships. Luckily, I’ve broken it four more times since, and I put it down to consistency. I decided to not take a break after the worlds, as Rio 2016 was my main aim. World records are nice, but for me it’s all about titles and most importantly Paralympic Gold.

Ali, you're clearly an extraordinary athlete, not only because of the weights you lift, but because whatever issues present themselves, you don't allow these to slow you down. Tell us about some of the situations you've found yourself in.

As an elite athlete, you will always find yourself with hurdles to overcome. Having an incurable disease makes life a little difficult: my diet, lifestyle, everything I do is geared up for controlling my Crohn’s and for that perfect performance on the platform. I just see it as another hurdle to overcome in order for me to be successful. It maybe a struggle, but it is apart of my life; it makes me who I am today. A lot of people see it as a massive disadvantage, but I feel it makes me mentally tougher to deal with whatever it thrown at me.

Crohn's disease is a very serious thing to live with, and in many instances, underestimated in its severity. Is there any advice or information you'd like to provide to our readers?

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect the whole digestive system. Symptoms means that most sufferers cannot absorb nutrients from food and will always feel fatigued. Unfortunately, in extreme cases it can be fatal. The best advice I can give to follow sufferers is keep smiling and treat it like a joke. If you take a laid back approach, it gives you a positive mindset to deal with the disease. It’s very hard to remain positive, but you have to be willing to fight any hurdle that’s put in your way, in order to live a normal life. No Crohn’s sufferer has ever won a gold medal at either an Olympic or Paralympic Games. In Rio2016, I would love to change that. For more information, go on the Crohn’s Colitis UK website.

What's next for the legend that is, Ali Jawad?

It is going to be a big year in 2015, as qualification heats up for Rio2016. There are 3 comps but the main comp next year is the European Championships. It’ll be ideal to add another major title win 12 months before Rio. Also, my lifelong aim is to bench press 200kg. I’m really close at the moment so it will be a dream to lift it on the international platform.

You've got a great coach behind you, and support team. How has this helped in your success?

I could not had any success without the ongoing work that my team does for me, Tom Whittaker (my coach) has given me the best team around me in order to help with my lifestyle, diet and physio. Tom has projected me into the world-class arena, when many people thought I should retire, no matter what happened he kept his faith in me. I’d also like to thank the support from British Weight Lifting and UK Sport.

Just as we've mentioned your coach, we should talk about training. How often do you train, and is there a brief overview of the program you can share with us?

Depending on what phase of training I’m in, I train between six and seven times a week for up to two hours a time. I also do my physio-based exercises for an hour and half a day. My program is very simple. It uses a linear progressive model. But the most important thing about my program is that it’s very flexible in order to appreciate that things sometimes don’t go to plan. It’s very adaptable to any situation.

On this subject, you've recently set-up a website called SirBenchALot, which I must add looks very cool, where you offer your services in forms of workshops and education. Tell us some more about this.

I get a lot of people wanting to know why I lift big weights, this gave me an idea to launch my own educational SirBenchAlot workshops covering technique, programming, optimal warm up/cool down, and injury prevention. Gyms across the country can book me through my SirBenchAlot twitter and FB page.

I also offer programming for anyone wanting to improve their bench press, which includes unlimited feedback. If you’re interested, you can contact me through my athlete page.

Any funny stories you wish to share?

Actually, one that really springs to mind was when I was in a gym in London, and someone came up to me and asked if I needed help on my bench press. He didn’t know who I was, so I just went along with it. Probably the funniest thing all year…I could not keep a straight face.

Who's your sporting hero?

Michael Johnson.

What's your favorite gym exercise?

Rack press.

Outside of powerlifting, what's your favorite sport?

I follow nearly all sports. I’m sports crazy but the main few are athletics [track & field], boxing, tennis, and swimming.

You celebrated with a cartwheel at the commonwealth’s games. Obviously, Rio is a bigger event that calls for a bigger celebration. Anything in mind?

It’ll only call for a bigger celebration if I achieve bigger things in Rio. I haven’t really thought about it, all I’m focused on it that Paralympic Gold medal. It’s been my life’s work that I’ve given everything up for. I also need to be careful with my celebrations as one day I may get into trouble for them.

Ali, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. I certainly enjoyed hearing from you and I have no doubt that the readers will love this also. I wish you good luck with your training towards Rio, and I encourage all the readers to show you some support by connecting with you on Twitter and Facebook.