Most 86-year-olds are taking it easy. But this does not apply to Frans van Beers from Boxtel. Last week he became world weightlifting champion in three disciplines in South Korea and took home three medals. The 86-year-old has only been training for six months, but should he stop? That is out of the question.
“Yes, they all hung them around my neck in Korea,” laughs Frans, while two medals the size of a cake plate dangle around his neck. “I am world champion in three disciplines, and I also have the world record in two,” he says in the TV program Brabants Buske. “So I can handle it again for a while, huh.”
The 86-year-old Frans is still beaming from his victory. Last week he returned from the IDFA Masters World Championships in South Korea. The gym where the gray muscle boy from Boxtel trains is decorated with flags saying ‘welcome home’ and a drawing of Frans wearing a Santa hat. In his suitcase: three heavy medals.
World Champion
“He is world champion, so it doesn’t get better than this,” says trainer Nikolas T. Mendez proudly. Frans has only been training under supervision for six months. “He is practically unique in his class. Worldwide, you can probably count the people of his age on one hand in all weightlifting federations. That makes it special.”
For Frans, it’s not just about building muscles and pumping iron. “You may want to lift a heavy weight, but if it is not right in your head, you will not succeed,” he says. “It’s not just in the muscles, it’s also in the mind.”
“Frans may have discovered it a little later, but this is really his passion,” adds his trainer. “I hope to be able to continue as he did. Until one day you no longer wake up, I would sign up for that.”
“I think this is sixty to seventy kilos,” says Frans, as he lifts a set of weights without visible effort. The classes at the tournament are divided by age and body weight.
“But this is easy for Frans,” his trainer jokes. “At the tournament there were also lifters who lifted more than a hundred kilos. Younger men sometimes even go up to three hundred.” Frans himself weighs about one hundred and twenty kilos.
Stay fit
At his age, Frans can still be found in the gym four days a week. His wife Monique is also fanatic: they met between the weights. Even their son is now training with them. “He started at the same time as me and is already lifting 170 kilos.”
The secret to staying so fit? “I have always played sports. I have also been an instructor,” says Frans. “You just keep going and apparently you stay healthier.” The gold plaque taps against his chest as he speaks. “Why should I stop? There’s nothing wrong with me. Age doesn’t matter.”
