St Patricks Day Q&A with athlete Hannah Crymble

The 17 March is St Patrick's day, and to celebrate, we asked Northern Irish weightlifter Hannah Crymble to share her thoughts and advice on weightlifting. Hannah is currently ranked no. 4 in the UK in the Women's 59kg category, after snatching 80kg, and clean and jerking 96kg to total 176kg at the 2022 British Championships.

Continue reading to find out what she had to say.

How did you get into weightlifting?

I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, starting with artistic gymnastics but then moving to acrobatic gymnastics. Throughout my childhood I was always involved in sports including hockey, jiu-jitsu and figure skating. I’ve kinda had a go at most sports but gymnastics was the one I chose to dedicate myself to! A few years after I left gymnastics I joined my local crossfit gym which then lead me to trying a local weightlifting gym with my friend and I haven’t looked back since.

Congratulations on some amazing lifting at the British Championships 2022! How are you feeling after the competition?

Thank you!

Like most people there my main goal was to get a total and secure my spot on the commonwealth rankings, mine being for Northern Ireland. On the day I wasn’t happy with the total I got but looking back on it now I’m proud of how I lifted and look forward to pushing my numbers in my up coming competitions!

How do you stay focussed in a competition environment?

I am still pretty new to weightlifting competitions as I’ve only been lifting for just over 3 years or so now and lost a lot of competition experience due to the pandemic, so I’m still experimenting and finding what works for me during competitions.

So far I just try my best to stay relaxed by listening to music and focus on me and my lifts and not get distracted by what the other athletes around me are doing but this is easier said than done, something I hope to get better at as I gain more competition experience.

Do you have a pre -competition ritual?

Not really! The night before a competition I tend to have a quiet night, getting a bath to help me relax and get to bed early.

What keeps you motivated to train?

I’d be lying if I said I was motivated all the time! I guess it’s the discipline that keeps me coming to the gym and getting my training sessions done as I know that’s what it takes to achieve my goals.

On days when I’m really struggling to get to the gym I allow myself to go in and go slightly off program and do movements which I feel good doing and enjoy the most.

What are your current goals?

My main goal at the moment is to make the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team for 2022! I also hope to finally get to represent Ireland at my first European Championships this year also!

Who is your biggest weightlifting inspiration?

Honestly I am inspired by all the amazing female athletes in the UK! After the British Championships this year I left feeling so motivated and inspired to get back into the gym!

If I had to pick one weightlifter though it would have to be Kuo Hsing-chun as her technique is amazing and she makes all her lifts look effortless!

Finally, what would your advice be to beginners wanting to get involved in the sport?

Weightlifting is literally a sport for anyone! It doesn’t matter what age, size, gender etc you are, anyone can give it a go!

When starting off I’d tell everyone to forget about the numbers and just enjoy learning the technique and feeling your body getting stronger!