WHEN Yarnton's Toni Hollis began pumping iron in 1986, she had no idea that 15 years on she would be a world champion several times over.

The 46-year-old Hollis to the World Powerlifting Championships gold medal at MooseJaw in Canada to chalk up the fourth world crown in her career - not bad for someone who only took up the sport to keep herself fit and give her a break from the housework!

Forced to miss out on last year's event in South Africa because of a back injury, Hollis was in determined mood as she blew the opposition away in Canada with a performance, which though remarkable, left her hungry for even more success.

In the 56kg category, she won gold in the squat with a lift of 147kg, gold in the bench press (92kg) and bronze in the deadlift (147kg).

The haul of individual medals was enough to give her the overall crown by a margin of 20kg from a Japanese competitor in second place.

Hollis will be hoping to defend her title again next year in Argentina.

"I've been in training for 15 years, but the main reason I took up the sport was to keep myself fit and give me something to do other than housework," she said.

"I have always been into sport, and I've turned my hand to all sorts of things, but nothing really grabbed me as this has. I have my husband to thank for that - he was the one who dragged me down to the gym for the first time!"

Eighteen months after she began training, Hollis entered a small competition in Oxford and qualified for the Britsh Championships in Birmingham, but success wasn't immediate.

"I bombed out completely," Hollis recalled. "I was so naive, I didn't have the right equipment, and to be honest, I knew nothing about the sport at all.

"But it was a lesson learned, and I came back stronger the following year, and was far better prepared. I won the bronze medal that year, and I've not looked back since."

It was Hollis's success in the national events that led her to the world stage.

"When I reached 40, I won the British Masters, which is the main qualifying event for the World Championships," she added. "I went to the worlds in Valenica, not expecting too much, and I won it at the first attempt."

Since then she has lifted the world crown on four separate occasions, only failing on her fifth bid, in Delhi, India, because of a severe bout of the infamous 'Delhi belly.

Hollis will defend her title again next year in Argentina, and is now on the look-out for sponsorship.

"It's all down to myself to pay the expenses, so that's my immediate priority," she said.

Any potential challengers for her crown will shudder to hear that she has no intention of stepping down.

"There's no way I'm thinking of retirement yet," she said. "I'll keep on going. This year's success was brilliant, especially when you consider the amount of people who entered.

"The sport is growing all the time, and this year, there were over 300 competitors in the various categories, and it can only get bigger.