On the 28th of November I competed at the British Age Group Championships in Harrogate. I have been weightlifting for nearly 4 years now, with this being my 3rd British Championships. Last year, 2020, I placed 1st with a 159kg total, making me Junior British and English Champion -81kg. However, this January I suffered a serious lower back injury. Physically and mentally I was only ready to return to weightlifting after over half a year of rehab and physio. Meaning the preparation for this competition was much shorter than I would've liked, with me only picking up a barbell again mid-July. Nevertheless, I was excited and ready to compete again, recovery had been a very hard and long process, but necessary to ensure a future as weightlifter as well as a paramedic, which I am currently in my 2nd year of working towards.
The lead up to the competition was very positive for me, this competition was important to me for so many other reasons than winning. I was excited at the concept of physically being able to compete as well proving to myself that I did the right thing by returning to weightlifting, especially after such a serious injury. Overall, I found the day extremely positive, a lot of my usual competition anxieties were not there, and my coaches were their usual amazing selves, reminding me of how hard I had worked to be here and that they were proud of me no matter what.
I placed 2nd! After a very good day of lifting, in a lighter class than I am used to (-76kg), even lifting over 10kg more than we had initially planned, ending up on 145kg and 5/6 lifts. 65/80 were both numbers that I had not been able to lift in over 10 months, so I was thrilled. There was great fight for 1st place, with Molly, a relatively new lifter lifting amazingly on the day, and being the best competition I could've asked for, a well-deserved win for her!
This last year would not have been possible without my coaches Marius and Julie who consistently see how capable I am, and not only remind me of it, but push me to be so much better. My return to weightlifting has been a long one, but I thank them for being patient and putting in the work with me, they truly are the best!
The support I have received from SportBU as a scholar has played a vital role in not only my recovery but my prep for this competition. Support services such as physio and sports massage, as well as finances for coaching and competition fees and even finances for competition day. Everything makes a difference and makes the pursuit of both high-performance sport as well as a degree not only easier, but possible. I can't thank them enough.
We couldn't be prouder. Izzy's return to weightlifting has been so tough, but even with a shorter preparation time before her event and with her extremely busy balance, both academically and in her sporting life, i think she has proven that she is 100% BACK! Something she should be so proud of. It's been a pleasure to work with Izzy. She is ambitions and demonstrates great determination to succeed. She has a possitve future ahead of her and we are just glad that we are able to support her and be part of that journey. - Martin Wells
The next competition I am preparing for is BUCS weightlifting championships, with the aim of placing 1st!
This year has made me more determined than ever.