British Weight Lifting, the national governing body for weightlifting and Paralympic powerlifting, has confirmed the athletes who have been selected for the upcoming IWF World Championships and European Junior & under 23 Championships.
A total of nine athletes have been chosen across the two competitions, with three prodigious young female lifters scheduled to compete at both. Rebekah Tiler, Mercy Brown and Sarah Davies will travel to Klaipeda in Lithuania to compete at the European Junior & under 23 Championships in October before joining five other elite British lifters at the World Championships in Houston (USA) this November.
Billed as the biggest World Championships to date, Houston 2015 sees over 650 athletes from the 184 affiliated nations compete from November 20-28. The championships play a significant part in the qualification process for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games - ensuring that qualifying for the competition has been a key objective for athletes this calendar year.
The athletes chosen to represent Great Britain at the World Championships are:
Men
Jack Oliver
Sonny Webster
Gareth Evans
Women
Zoe Smith
Emily Godley
Rebekah Tiler
Sarah Davies
Mercy Brown
The coaching team will be led by Tommy Yule and will include Dave Sawyer, Andrew Callard and Ed Halstead.
Commonwealth Games Champion Zoe Smith commented "It’s the first time in nearly 30 years the Championships have taken place in the USA so I’m really excited to be taking part. My focus, first and foremost, will be on giving my all and improving my PBs – if I manage do that then I’m really optimistic about my chances of success."
British Championships runner-up Emily Godley observed "My goal is to compete at the Olympics next year in Rio so I’ve been training relentlessly to give myself the best possible chance of qualifying. The World Championships present a fantastic opportunity to prove my credentials and hopefully the hard work will pay off for me with some new PBs."
Ahead of the World Championships, the European Junior/Under 23 Championships are taking place in Lithuania. Chosen to compete in the Under 23 age category are English Champion Sarah Davies, in the 63kg weight class, and Edmon Avetisyan in the Men’s 94kg; whilst Rebekah Tiler and Mercy Brown have been selected to compete in the junior 69kg and over 75kg weight classes respectively.
The athletes will be coached throughout the competition by Dave Sawyer, Ed Halstead and Natasha Perdue.
Britain’s youngest ever senior champion Rebekah Tiler said "I’m up against some fantastic lifters at both championships but my preparation has been going well and I’m happy with how I’ve been lifting in training and competition this year. Now I can’t wait to compete and gain some more experience of lifting at international competitions".
Commenting on the team selection, Ashley Metcalfe, British Weight Lifting CEO, said: "This has by far been one of our toughest team selections to date; with the Olympics taking place next year all our athletes have stepped up to the plate. We’ve had a year of fantastic record-breaking performances for many so we’ve had some tough decisions to make."
British Weight Lifting Performance Director Tommy Yule said "The two competitions provide exceptional opportunities for our athletes to amass greater experience of competing on the international stage; something which is invaluable in advance of next year’s Olympic Games.
That being said, regardless of the Olympics next year our focus remains the same – the personal development of each individual competing on the platforms. There is a real determination within the group to see all of our athletes fulfill their potential."
British Weight Lifting would like to thank Pristine Condition Limited, whose ongoing partnership has funded Jack Oliver’s and Sonny Webster’s trip to Houston, and Welsh Weightlifting for their sustained backing of Gareth Evans. The females are once again indebted to the continued support of UK Sport, who remain firmly committed to ensure that UK athletes have the best possible opportunity to medal in Rio and beyond.
The 2015 IWF World Weightlifting Championships take place in Houston from November 20-28.
For more information on the European Junior Championships please visit http://britishweightlifting.org/event/european-junior-23-championships/.
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