Woodbridge teenage powerlifter Will Anders tells his story, from bullying and losing his dad to a brain tumour to representing England

A Woodbridge teenager who started powerlifting after losing his dad to an aggressive brain tumour has been selected to represent England.

Will Anders picked up the sport on New Year’s Day 2023 after a struggle with an eating disorder, bullying, social anxiety and the death of his dad, Rob, in 2020.

In July last year, he came fourth in the British Junior Nationals in Powerlifting, with personal bests in the squat, bench press and deadlift events before securing the runner-up position in the English Nationals.

Now 18, he will be heading to South Africa in October for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in the hopes of bagging the top prize, which he said was a ‘dream come true’.

Will described himself as a ‘stand-out’ student at school due to his height, being 5ft8 in Year Seven, with his dad expecting him to be a natural on the rugby field.

However, he said he gave up after getting scared he was going to do a lot of damage.

Will spoke of how deadlifting helped him overcome his social anxiety and the effect his first competition had on him.

“I signed up for my first competition and it was amazing,” he said.

“That competition completely changed my life. There’s just so much support for you when you’re on the platform because everyone understands that you can only do your best. It’s an amazing community that just pushes you forward constantly.”

Mum Phillipa said Will had been through so much through the years but she recalled seeing him transform in front of her eyes once he started powerlifting.

“He is a remarkable young man who has shown real grit and determination to get to where he is today. I am immensely proud of him and know his dad would be too,” she said.

Will’s dad served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary for 30 years and had just been awarded an OBE when he went home after experiencing a pins and needles sensation in his arms.

He was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2020 and was due to start treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

He didn’t get that far and Will said he couldn’t believe it when Rob told his family he had about a year to live.

Will originally found solace in online gaming, even livestreaming his adventures on Twitch.

However, after bullies found out about his dad’s illness, they stole his IP address and named their avatars in a way to taunt him, Will said.

Rob died shortly before Christmas in 2020 causing his family to fall into a period of grief.

Will said: “I would just eat to kind of take my mind off things and I was so far from myself. That was quite a difficult time.

“Then we had this big extravaganza for my dad’s funeral. All my family was there on the ship, and people were coming up to me saying how amazing dad was.

"I realised what’s the point in being alive if I’m not going to do anything and impact people’s lives like he did? So, a couple of days after that I was like, right, I’m going to get it together.”

He eventually started going to the gym, but his eating habits meant he did not lose any weight and eventually grew to hate his appearance after putting on 25 kilograms.

Will reached such a low point that he wouldn’t go out, look in a mirror or use the camera on his phone.

However, it was a text from a friend that helped him climb out of his dark point and advice from people at the gym helped him lose weight.

Will has set up a fund-raiser to help get him to the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship, which can be donated to using this link.

Phillipa also became an involvement champion at The Brain Tumour Charity, helping to use her grief to raise awareness of the condition.

Will added: “I know that everything that I went through has made me what I am today. It’s made me quite resilient and very determined to the point that if I want something I’ll get it done.

“Around my neck I’ve got a chain that my nanna gave me the night before his funeral and I wear a ring on it that my dad originally bought for my grandad.

“I like to think that he’s with me no matter what and that sometimes, especially with my lifting, he helps out a little bit.”