‘At least you know when you achieve the records, people know you’re clean’

Vincent O’Donovan is a world champion from Cork city. At the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation World Championships in Chisinau, Moldova last November, he retained his world junior title and set a series of world and European records. He is studying radiography.

Q: It wasn’t all plain sailing in Moldova?

A: On my third attempt to do a 250kg squat, I suppose I was a bit arrogant and lost focus a little and ended up injuring my back. A minor bulging disk. It kept me out of a month.