- Residence:
Abbey Wood
- Region:
Greater London
- Home Town:
Abbey Wood
- Club:
Europa Weightlifting Club
Career highlights
2010 English Senior Championships: Champion
2010 European Youth Championships: Snatch Bronze; Clean & Jerk Silver; Total Silver
2009 British Junior Championships: Champion
2009 British U17 Championships: Champion
2009 World Youth Championships: 8th
2009 European Junior Championships: 6th
2008 European Youth Championships: Clean & Jerk Silver
2008 Commonwealth Youth Games: Gold
2008 BOA Athlete of the Year – Weightlifting
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What is your sporting ambition?
I am really hoping to get the chance to compete in front of a home crowd at the London 2012 Olympics. I will only be 18 so I hope to compete at further Olympic Games. Before then, I am determined to gain selection to represent England at this year’s Commonwealth Games.What was your inspiration to take up your sport?
I never deliberately set out to be a weightlifter – it all happened quite by chance. While training as a gymnast, the head coach commented that I would never make it to the Olympics as a gymnast but perhaps as a weightlifter. The club was sharing its facilities with weightlifting and they were recruiting for the London Youth Games. I agreed to give it a try and, as they say, the rest is history.What are your interests outside of sport?
I enjoy what other 16-year-olds do: meeting up with friends and shopping for clothes, going to the cinema and watching favourite bands in concert or comedy shows. I’m currently in Year 11 at school so I'm taking my GCSE’s this summer.In your mind, what's the most memorable moment of past Olympics/Paralympics?
The most memorable moment was when the Chinese lifter Long Qingquan took the gold in the men’s 56kg category in Beijing. I was in the weightlifting venue at the time spectating (I was part of the BOA’s Britain’s Olympic Ambition Programme) and the crowd went absolutely wild. I remember wondering if I’d ever be able to hear again – it was deafening What three words best describe you?
Either ‘Prone to Laziness’ or ‘Determined to Win’. But I'm always determined to win! Who should light the flame for London 2012?
That’s something I’ve never given any thought to before but I think that it should either be Sebastian Coe, as a former Olympian and for his enormous involvement in the organisation of the London 2012 Olympics, or Kelly Holmes, as an Olympian who is clearly held in very high regard by all, would be great choices.
Looking Forward to the Year Ahead
15 Jan 2010 18:49
Hard to believe we’re already virtually halfway through the first month of the year and it’s already been 2 weeks since my last blog.
My training is starting to step up in preparation for my next big competition on 20 February. The competition is the English Senior Championships taking place at Lilleshall National Sports Centre and it’s one of the qualifying competitions for the Commonwealth Games so I want to be ready to do my best.
Although I don’t have to put in any extra hours, the weights I am lifting in training are starting to get gradually heavier and it’s also the time that I have to start thinking about my own weight (again!)
Earlier this week I had a meeting with my coach and the Performance Manager of World Class Lifting to agree my targets for the year and to decide which competitions I’ll be focusing on.
As I’ve already said, my 100% main aim for the year is to compete and do well at the Commonwealth Games in India and because of that my coach has said he doesn’t want me to go to the first Olympic Youth Games in Singapore in August as he feels it would be too close to the Commonwealths. While that’s a bit disappointing, I totally understand where he’s coming from.
Another very important competition that I may have to miss this year could be the European Youth Championships taking place in Spain in May. That competition not only falls during my GCSEs but will be quite close to the British Senior Championships in June which is another event that I’m going
to have to make sure I’m at my absolute best for to ensure qualification for the Commonwealths. Again it would be difficult to be at my peak for both so we’re going to have to leave it til nearer the time for my coach to make a decision. The good news is that on whatever would be the actual day
of my competition in Spain I don’t actually have an exam but as they are either side of that date it really would have to be a “flying visit” if I do go!
Yesterday morning I sat the final part of my GCSE Science. There are 3 exams in total but I had to miss the final one (Biology) when we sat them (a year early) last May as I went to Austria to compete at the Fulda Cup so I was very pleased when I was told I’d get the chance to take it now instead. Fingers crossed I’ve not done too badly, although Science isn’t exactly my strong point.
I had my mock GCSE results through this week and, considering I did have to miss quite a bit of school last year to compete abroad and to attend WCL squads, I was quite pleased with the results.
Looking ahead to this weekend, I’ll be travelling down to Bristol on Saturday for the second Commonwealth Games training squad so I’m really looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.
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