|
Precious - His Story
|
Olympic
& Power Lifting Achievements
-
9
times British Weight Lifting
Champion
-
10
times British Power Lifting Champion
-
5
times World Power Lifting Champion
-
8
World Masters Power Lifting Records
1999- 2002
-
4
consecutive Gold Medals at the
Commonwealth
Games
-
Represented
Britain in 3
Olympic Games:
Mexico 1968, Munich
1972, Montreal 1976
-
Current
World Masters Power Lifting
Champion
-
Elected
to the World Hall of Fame for
Power
Lifting - Texas, USA
-
Presented
with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II
...and there's more to
come...
Click
here for details of his latest awards  |
|
Other
Qualifications
In
1971 Precious enrolled at Bisham Abbey,
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, an academy for
top sportspeople.
He graduated with a Bawla Certificate
after a course concentrating on:
-
Anatomy
-
Kinetics
-
Mechanics
-
Physiology
Since
then he has been working as an
international freelance consultant on
back care injury prevention,
spreading his pain-saving message to
both employees and management of
companies concerned with workplace
safety.
He has conducted seminars in the countries
all over the world
Precious
is an active member of the New Zealand
Safety Council where he serves on the Advisory Panel. |
|
What
better person to advise us on correct
lifting techniques? |
His
Story
(His Story is soon to be made
into a movie - HOT LINK)
Precious
was born in 1936 in Durban (South
Africa), the second youngest in a family
of five. His father was killed hunting
crocodiles shortly after he was born.
Precious was a weak child, suffering
many serious illnesses during his
childhood. His mother was unable to
cope, and Precious and his younger
sister, Gloria, were put in welfare
'care' of a number of foster parents,
several of whom treated them cruelly. He
wanted to become a circus acrobat, and
while training for his act, he developed
a love of weightlifting. |
|
|
He
progressed rapidly and became recognized
as the best lifter in his weight class
in the Republic. But, due to apartheid,
he could not represent South Africa, so
he shifted to England.
He worked in a shoe factory in
Northampton, applying later for
citizenship. Due to his particular
circumstances, this was not forthcoming,
but then, on the eve of going to Canada,
Dennis Howell who was then the Minister
of Sport (and who wrote the
foreword to
"The
Precious McKenzie Story"
- written by Marion Connock - published
by Pelham Books),
intervened and Precious was granted
British Citizenship. |
 |
|
He then moved to Bristol, and graduated
in Phys Ed from Bisham Abbey Academy,
later emigrating to NZ. He won his third
Gold Medal at the 1974 Christchurch
Commonwealth Games, and his fourth
consecutive Gold Medal in Edmonton,
Canada. Also in 1974 he featured
on Thames Television's "This is
your Life" show with Amon
Andrews. The same year Queen
Elizabeth personally awarded him the MBE
for his services to international weight
lifting. |
|
