Oliver Mell, owner of Wolf Pack Fitness in South Cheshire, has returned from New York with two gold medals after representing England at the International Kettlebell Marathon Federation World Championships.

Just one week after competing at the European Championships in York, Mell travelled to Syracuse, New York, for the International Kettlebell Marathon Federation (IKMF) World Championships, held from 22–24 May 2026.

The former Royal Marine won gold in the Half Marathon One-Arm Half Snatch, lifting a 32kg kettlebell for 291 repetitions, and gold in the One-Arm Weight Girevoy event with a 40kg bell.

His success was part of a wider strong performance from the England team, which included fellow Wolf Pack athletes Debbie Moulton, Del Wilson, Alistair Lee and Aaron Moulton.

Wilson won gold in the Military Snatch, Moulton took silver, Lee won silver, and Moulton competed internationally for the first time in one of the sport’s most demanding 40kg events.

For Mell, who first discovered kettlebell sport before joining the Royal Marines in 2012, the journey has been anything but glamorous.

Before flying to America, he had to cut weight, meaning he travelled on the back of a three-day fast.

“I was flying while everyone else was eating,” he said. “The plane journey and then the car journey were pretty miserable. But I made up for it on the way back.”

Kettlebell sport remains a niche pursuit in Britain, despite requiring extraordinary strength, endurance and mental resilience. Competitors lift for timed sets, often ten minutes, 30 minutes or longer, with results determined by repetitions, weight and discipline.

Mell describes the atmosphere at international competitions as both fiercely competitive and unusually warm.

“It’s like strongman in that your competitors are your best friends you want to beat,” he said.

“You spend all year sharing training tips, watching each other’s videos and talking online. Then you meet up and go through hell trying to beat your mate.”

In New York, one of the most memorable moments for Mell was watching his friend Nazir, representing Denmark, break two world records.

Yet Mell’s own performances were just as significant. Now in his mid-forties, he admits each year at the top level becomes harder.

“It gets harder to get up at five in the morning,” he said. “At some point, the motivation to put your body through it to win another one wears thin.”

Then he laughs.

“Maybe one more year and I’m done. But people who know me say I say that every year.”

Back home in Walgherton, there is already more to do. Wolf Pack Fitness is expanding, with work under way on an outdoor gym, while Mell is also looking at ways to bring kettlebell sport into schools.

As a committee member of the England Kettlebell Association, he believes the sport’s future depends on attracting younger lifters.

“England has historically done really well, but we don’t have a big influx of youth lifters coming through,” he said.

“If we don’t get young people involved, we’ll end up with a very small England team. Getting into schools is one of the most important things we can do.”

The gym itself has become known locally for its unusually strong sense of community. Mell says that was partly by design and partly by accident.

“A lot of gyms talk about community, but we’ve got people here who end up being godparents to each other’s kids,” he said.

He also wanted to create a space where beginners, especially women, did not feel intimidated.

“I’ve got two daughters,” he said. “I’ve always wanted them to grow up with the opportunity to do sport. Equality of access matters.”

That ethos has helped turn a rural Cheshire gym into an unlikely production line for international athletes.

Mell believes rural areas are often underestimated when it comes to sporting talent.

“People think of football first,” he said. “But in rural areas you see very high-level athletes in sports like riding, rowing and rugby. There is real talent here.”

After New York, however, life quickly returned to normal.

“In some countries, athletes go home and meet the president or have a parade,” Mell said.

“I come home, get up in the morning, make my kids’ packed lunches and get straight back to reality.

“You do it because you love the sport. Recognition would be nice, but it’s not why I do it.”

For now, the medals are back in Cheshire. The training has already restarted. And in a quiet gym in Walgherton, England’s next world-level kettlebell athletes may already be lifting.