BRITISH champion powerlifter Jean Maton returned this week from the world masters championships in Canada with no fewer than four gold medals.

The local government worker from South Ham in Basingstoke has even more reason to celebrate an amazing first year as an over-40 competitor. She has just learned that she has been elevated to first place in the 2003 European masters championships because the original winner from the Ukraine has failed a drug test and been stripped of her medal.

So 40-year-old Maton is the current British, European and world champion.

"I think it goes to prove that life begins at 40," said the Basingstoke Powerlifting Club member only hours after returning home.

Her title win broke the American domination of the championships in Regina, Saskatchewan and followed outright wins in each of the three disciplines.

She achieved a squat of 170kg and a lifetime best benchpress of 110kg, which is a British masters record.

This was achieved despite a worrying shoulder twinge.

She also equalled her personal best with a deadlift of 185 to provide a PB total of 465kg in the under-82.5kg category.

After the busiest year of her competitive career, Maton can't even look forward to a break. She has British squad training this weekend in Birmingham and next month takes part in the South Midlands championships where she has to qualify for next year's British championships.

Her year began by setting eight new British masters records when she guested at the US women's championships in Killeen, Texas.

The Gazette sports woman of the year won her British masters title in Livingston, Scotland some three months later, setting a new British masters benchpress record in the process.

In May she became British benchpress champion at Birmingham and in July she achieved third place in the British senior championships, swiftly followed by the European success, which helped Great British lift the age group team title, and victory in the EU Cup in France.