Team England Shines at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships

Team England delivered an outstanding performance at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships, held in Suva, Fiji, from 17 to 21 September.

The event, hosted at the Vodafone Arena, brought together athletes from 26 nations across the Commonwealth.

Jessica Gordon Brown (59kg), Erin Burton (71kg), and Madias Ngake (87kg), secured  three silver medals in a highly competitive environment. 

Dave Sawyer, National GB Coach, who accompanied the athletes to Fiji, commented on the challenges of international travel and its potential impact on performance:

“Travelling to the other side of the world with a quick turnaround before competing always presents risks. However, they all showed true professionalism and were justly rewarded for their efforts.”

In the women’s 59kg category, Jessica Gordon Brown claimed her silver medal with a strong showing, completing snatches of 82kg, 84kg, and 86kg. In the clean and jerk, she powered through lifts of 104kg and 108kg, but her final attempt at 112kg just slipped out of reach, finishing with a total of 194kg.

Erin Burton, competing in the 71kg category, also took home silver. She confidently snatched 90kg and 93kg but was unable to secure 96kg on her last attempt. In the clean and jerk, she sailed through lifts of 115kg and 118kg but couldn’t quite manage 121kg, finishing with a total of 211kg.

Madias Ngake delivered an impressive performance in the 87kg category, earning silver with snatches of 108kg and 112kg, just missing 115kg. She followed with clean and jerks of 120kg, 127kg, and 132kg, finishing with a solid total of 244kg.

Sawyer also praised the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation and Fiji Weightlifting Federation for organising a well-run event:

“I’d like to commend [both federations] for hosting a well-organised competition and for their warm hospitality throughout our stay.”

British Weight Lifting is incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work shown by all three athletes, whose efforts have put England on the podium once again!

We would also like to congratulate all the athletes who represented Wales at the championships: Nikole Roberts, Madaline Connelly, Charlotte Whalley, Catrin Jones, Michael Farmer, Bethan Watkins, and Edward Gibson!