2023 England Age Group Championships results

Between 25-26 February 2023, the England Age Group Championships were held at Brunel University, Uxbridge. Across the 2 days there was an exceptional standard of lifting, with a total of twenty-three British records being broken.

 

Saturday round up:

The competition kicked off with the younger athletes taking to the two platforms. The red platform saw the girls under 10 30kg, 35kg, 40kg and 55kg athletes compete alongside the under 12 35kg and 40kg athletes. On the blue platform the boys under 10 35kg, 40kg and 45kg competed alongside the under 12 45kg and 49kg athletes. The second group of under 12 girls then took to the red platform, this time it was the 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 64kg and 71kg+ athletes.

All three under 12 groups put on a fantastic display of weightlifting. All athletes in the under 12 categories made between four and six lifts on the platform, with smiles all round for coaches, parents and lifters.

Next to compete on the Saturday were the under 15 and under 17 athletes.

The second group of athletes out on the blue platform was compromised of the male under 15 49kg, 55kg and 67kg athletes with the under 17 49kg, 61kg and 67kg athletes. It was in this group that Silver Ee from Maidstone Weightlifting Club put on an outstanding performance in the under 17 67kg category. Silver snatched 105kg and clean and jerked 128kg, giving him a 233kg total, all of which are new British records.

The third group to compete on the red platform continued the great standard of lifting, with Julia Walesa of Hampshire Barbell Club setting three new British records in the Under 17 40kg category. Julia snatched 37kg, clean and jerked 50kg for a new record total of 87kg.  

The third group on the Blue platform was the male under 17 73kg, 89kg and 96kg categories, where Oliver Jackson from Bounce Gym Weightlifting had a fantastic performance. Oliver set two new British records with a 107kg snatch and a 242kg total in the under 17 96kg category.

Group four on the red platform comprised the female under 15 and under 17 59kg categories. GB Youth lifter Tabitha Hardy from Hallam Barbell put on a good show with a 60kg snatch and a 73kg clean and jerk for the gold medal in the under 17 category, with Ruby Stringer securing the silver medal for the under 17s. In the under 15 category, Ella Henrey took the gold with a 113kg total, followed by Maya Hindmarch in second  place and Kayleigh Ellison from Wildboar Weightlifting in third.

The fourth group onto the blue platform was the male under 17 81kg category. This was the largest group of athletes in the same category for the whole competition. Adam Mey took first place in this group with a 223kg total, followed by Ethan Henrey in second place, and Maksymilian Nems in third place.

Group five on the red platform compromised of the female under 15 and under 17 64kg categories. Standout performances were given by Emily Arsali of Atlas Weightlifting Centre with a 122kg total in the under 15 category, and Olive Eleftheriou in the under 17 category with a 121kg total.

The last group to take to the blue platform on Saturday was the female under 15 and under 17 76kg and 81kg categories. In the under 17 81kg category, Lottie Absolom went six for six and secured a great 158kg total, and Djolie Bulica of North Tyneside Barbell also made all her lifts for a 149kg total.

The last group on the red platform compromised of the under 15 and under 17 71kg female athletes. Pride Performance athletes made up half of this group, with all three gaining medals. Elli McEvatt secured a gold medal with a 164kg total in the U17, while in the U15 Martha Bailey gained gold with a 155kg total and Darcy Ruddock secured silver with a 132kg total. Maddie Rosher from North Tyneside Barbell also had a great performance in the U17 group, going five for six with a 157kg total for the silver whilst Isla Travers from Lakeside Weightlifting secured the bronze.

Sunday round up:

Sunday saw the athletes in the under 20 and under 23 categories compete and fifteen records were broken across the two platforms.

The first group on the red platform was made up of Talent Transfer athletes. The Talent Transfer Programme has been designed to identify athletes with potential from various sporting backgrounds. The aim of the programme is to provide a small group of talented young athletes aged 14-22 with a 2-year accelerated introduction into the sport of weightlifting. You can find out more about the programme here.

The first group on the blue platform compromised of the male under 20 and under 23 55kg, 61kg and 67kg categories. It was in this group that Commonwealth Games competitor Ben Hickling set three new British records in the under 23 61kg category. Ben snatched 95kg, and clean and jerked 125kg for a 220k total, giving him a gold medal and a triple record performance.   

Group 2 on the red platform was made up of the female under 20 and under 23 49kg, 55kg and 59kg athletes. Standout performances from this group include GB youth athlete Asees Dhanda, who went five for six and secured a 141kg total in the 49kg category, setting under 15 British records in the snatch, clean and jerk and total, and under 17 British records in the clean and jerk and total. Also in this group Emily Grimmett from Loughborough Powersports with a 151kg total in the under 23 59kg category.

The third group to compete on the blue platform was the male under 20 and under 23 81kg athletes. In this Group Harry Hewitt-Smith from Resilience weightlifting had a tense start after missing his opening and second snatch, but he managed to refocus, making his third snatch which let him continue in the competition. His efforts paid off after he secured gold in the under 20 category with a 210kg total.  Finley Austin and Jacob Finnigan both put in exceptional performances in the under 23 category, with Jacob totalling a massive 285kg, and Finley followed closely with a 273kg total.

The third group on the red platform saw the female under 20 and under 23 64kg athletes battle it out. In this group Josie Griffiths from Hampshire Barbell set two British records after an incredible performance. Josie snatched  83kg and made a new record total of 179kg.

Group 4 on the blue platform saw the male under 20 and under 23 89kg athletes take to the platform. Stefano Cataldi from LOWA  put on a show for spectators with a triple British record performance in the under 20 category. Stefano went two for three in the snatch, ending on a record of 140kg. In the clean and jerk, Stefano missed his opener at 175kg, he made this weight on his second attempt, then made a 10kg jump to 185kg for his final attempt. In the back room, his coach suggested making a smaller jump but Stefano pushed back and signed off the weight himself, confident in his ability. His determination paid off and he made the lift, setting a new clean and jerk record, and giving himself a record total of 325kg and a gold medal.

The fourth group on the red platform was made up of the female under 20 and under 23 71kg athletes. Erin Friel put on an incredible performance in this group, setting three new British Records in the under 20 category. Erin snatched 81kg and clean and jerked 105kg for a massive 186kg total.

The last group of the competition on the blue platform was the male under 20 and under 23 96kg, 102kg, 109kg and 109+kg category athletes. The standout performance from this group was from Myren Madden. Myren had an incredible performance punctuated by triple British records in the under 23 96kg category. Myren went six for six, snatching 145kg and clean and jerking 180kg for a 325kg total.

The last group of the competition on the red platform was the female under 20 and under 23 76kg, 81kg and 87kg categories. This group closed the competition on a high after Madison Farley set a new British clean and jerk record after an incredible 111kg lift in the under 23 76kg category. Bella Brown also set triple British records in the under 20 and under 23 81kg category with a 85kg snatch, 107kg clean and jerk and 192kg total.

Thank you!

British Weight Lifting would like to say a big thank you to everyone who made the England Age Group Championships such a success.

Thank you to the loaders, Technical Officials and volunteers who gave up their time to adjudicate the lifts, be a speaker, load the bar, help make the event run smoothly and help pack the kit away. It is very much appreciated.

Thanks to our partners who continue to support us: Joymo, New Balance, SBD, Built for Athletes, Eleiko, SportsCover Europe and Sport and Fitness Flooring.

Thank you to our funding partners the National Lottery, Sport England and UK Sport for your continued support in helping us develop the sports of weightlifting and para powerlifting.

Finally, thank you to the athletes, coaches and supporters for creating such a fantastic atmosphere, competing and cheering each other on.