Moate resident Paul McCabe takes All-Ireland Body Building Championship

After a six year sabbatical from the sport, Moate"s Paul McCabe made a dramatic comeback in the All Ireland Body Building Championships which were held in Limerick IT last week, taking the national Lightweight Title and also achieving first place in the Best Overall Routine Category. Paul has been lifting weights for over 20 years and, while he had previously picked up a number of weightlifting titles, decided six years ago to concentrate on both his studies and his work in paramedics. 'I was very busy studying Advanced Paramedics in UCD and between that and my work it was taking up a lot of my time,' says Paul who is stationed in Athlone. 'I was delighted to be back and, really, I had been preparing for the competition for a year before hand, that"s the way it goes with the sport. It was fantastic to take the two titles and I had great support from friends and family who came down to Limerick on the day,' he adds. Although a native of Monaghan, Paul has been living and working in Athlone and Moate since 1981. 'I"m more of a midlander now at this stage!' he says. Having previously represented Ireland in Powerlifting, Paul is delighted to be back in the sport and says that he is already looking forward to the next competition. 'I suppose I"ll aim towards the end of 2009 or the start of 2010. I"m getting married in February, that"s the next big competition!' he adds. Paul wished to thank his Fiancee Monica for her continued support as well as his work colleagues in the Athlone base who he says were, 'absolutely fantastic, they helped me out in any way that they could.' 'I may move up to the Middleweight competition next time. I"m 45 now so I knew it was time for me to get back into the sport while I still can!' he adds.