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NORTH ATTLEBORO - Bill Sullivan might look small - and that would be an understatement - but you wouldn't want to kick sand in his face.

The 128-pound, 47-year-old from Foxboro walked away with first place in the men's division Wednesday in the inaugural Hockomock YMCA Bench Press Competition.

Sullivan benched an astonishing 215 pounds for 168 percent of his body weight - but not without a little drama.

On his third attempt, Sullivan struggled to get the bar level with his right hand, and the two spotters, Ray Aubin and Bill Henderson, both certified personal trainers at Personalized Fitness in Plainville, looked ready to rack the weight.

But Sullivan thrust the bar up with all his might to an eruption of applause from onlookers. "I wanted to challenge myself and see what my capabilities were," Sullivan said. "I've been practicing for a while and wanted to get over 200, so I was very happy with the results."

The bench press competition in the weight room of the Hockomock YMCA in North Attleboro drew men and women of all shapes and sizes who paid $15 for a path to bragging rights.

The competition was judged on the amount of weight lifted divided by body weight.

Spectators surrounded the bench, which was roped off by banners reading "Got Milk?"and cheered on their favorites, just in case they needed an extra boost to push the iron off their chests.

While Sullivan's press might have been the most impressive of the day, Darren Glassman, 39, of Plainville, and Michael Rossi, 42, of Mansfield each amazed the crowd by pressing 340 pounds.

The men, who tied for third place - each pressing 153 percent of their body weight - are training partners and have been working out together for four years.

The winner in the women's division was Doris Simmons, a personal trainer at the Y and former track and field athlete at the University of Michigan, who pressed 115 pounds on her first attempt.

The event was the brainchild of Hockmock YMCA Health and Wellness Team of Cindee Goodinson, Kimberly Cohen, and Shawna Ferris.

"Nobody got hurt, which means it was a success," Goodinson laughed. "We'll definitely be doing this again next year."

Sullivan already has his sights set on defending his championship. The former high school athlete is only in his third year of lifting weights and believes there is room for improvement. "You don't have to be on steroids to lift a lot of weight," Sullivan joked. "Look at me. The only thing I take is a multivitamin. Anyone can lift weights and it's very healthy."

Top Three Men:

1st place - Bill Sullivan, 168% of body weight

2nd place - Tim Driscoll, 154% of body weight

3rd place (tie) - Darren Glassman and Michael Rossi, 153% of body weight

Top Three Women:

1st place - Doris Simmons, 83% of body weight

2nd place - Nikki Pardo, 79% of body weight

3rd place - Carrie Guerrini, 76% of body weight