British records were obliterated at St Mary’s University Twickenham which hosted the first British Championships since the resumption of competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The British Championships was held on 26 June as a Commonwealth Games qualifier for Birmingham 2022 and featured elite athletes from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

2021 British Championship Results and Roundup

Pre Competition Info

The British Championships at St Mary’s University in Twickenham is now being held as a one-day event on 26 June 2021.

The event has been scaled back, with the ultimate focus being a performance-based event for those athletes wishing to either qualify or benchmark their total against others for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Lifters will be selected in consultation with the Home Nations.

With limited opportunities remaining to qualify for Home Nation lifters over the next 12 months, it is important to provide platforms for them to showcase their talents and achieve ranking positions, but this will not mean that other lifters will be excluded. BWL will issue invitations to ensure that the competition remains highly competitive and a great opportunity to kick-start 'live and physical' lifting once again. Critically, it will ensure that the British titles will be competed for by the country's best lifters and will remain highly cherished achievements.

The competition will be held with strict COVID-19 protocols and in line with appropriate rules and regulations no spectators will be allowed. BWL will aim to 'live stream' the event to ensure that no supporters, family or friends miss this return to physical competitions.

Please note that the results from this competition will be separate from the virtual British Championship results taking place from Wednesday 30 June – Wednesday 7 July.

Eligibility

This competition is by invitation only. Each Home Nation will be invited to nominate lifters to take part in the British Championships. Entries have now closed.

Rankings and qualification

Classed as a Tier 1 event the results from the competition can be used for rankings and qualification to future national events, and the winners from each category will be crowned ‘2021 British Champion’. This event can be used to set records.

Competition Schedule & Start List  (Updated 17 June 2021)

The competition schedule is available to view here. 

The competition start list is available to view here

COVID-19 Protocols

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, additional planning and control is required to ensure that the British Championships 2021 event minimises the risk to anyone attending it.  The health, safety and wellbeing of all attendees is our paramount concern. 

The protocols are intended to provide a safe and controlled environment and every attendee must adhere to these.

Read the COVID-19 protocols here

Please note: we recommend that everyone attending takes a COVID-19 test 24 hours prior to attending the event, to confirm they do not have COVID-19.  Tests are available free of charge from https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

Live Stream

British Weight Lifting are pleased to announce that a fixed camera live stream will be in operation at the competition.

Each session will be streamed live on Joymo with an event pass being available at a special event price of £10.

Passes are available to buy here

Both platforms will have a separate feed, although users on desktop can watch both at the same time by placing two browser windows side by side. 

With no in-person spectators present at the event, BWL explored every possibility to allow our members to watch the action live as it unfolds, and we are delighted to partner with Joymo to trial their innovative streaming solution.

Please note the stream will not feature any on-screen graphics or a dedicated commentary team.

For this event we took the decision not to utilise a full production team to keep on-site numbers as low as possible to minimise the COVID-19 risks at an organised elite sport event.

However, the in-person event speaker will be audible on the stream so viewers will be able to follow along with all the latest developments as they happen.

Results

The top three lifters in each body weight category will be awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

TCRRs

Please read the rules and regulations in the TCRRs.

Any other questions or queries

If you have any further questions or queries please contact British Weight Lifting by emailing competitions@britishweightlifting.org or call 01132 249 402.

The virtual British Championships has closed with a massive 424 entries.

It was hoped that the competition would provide a fresh focus to get lifters back in their clubs and training towards a national event. No qualification requirements were set meaning that any member of British Weight Lifting could take part.

Judging will now take place, with entry videos shared out amongst BWL licenced Technical Officials. The results will be published no later than Tuesday 20 July.

Pre Competition Info

The British Championships will run as a virtual competition. Although we are not able to invite all lifters to a physical event, we hope that with the majority of gyms opening on Monday 12 April, this competition will provide a fresh focus to get lifters back in their clubs and training towards a national event.

Please note that the results from this virtual competition will be separate from the physical British Championship results taking place at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Eligibility

There are no qualification requirements for the Virtual British Championships.

To enter Tier 1 event a person must:

• Have lived in the United Kingdom for one year prior to the date of the final entry of the competition and on the day of the competition.
• Or be in possession or, be eligible to apply for a British passport.
• Hold a valid BWL membership on the date of qualification, date of entry to the competition, and the day of the competition.
• Not be in formal dispute with BWL and/or recognised bodies or partners.

Rankings and qualification

Classed as a Tier 1 event the results from the competition can be used for rankings and qualification to future national events, and the winners from each age group and category will be crowned ‘2021 Virtual British Champion’. The virtual event cannot be used to set records.

Entries

There will be no cap on entry numbers and entries will be processed through the virtual competition hub, Launchpad.

Enter here

 

Entries will cost £20.

Key dates

• Entries will open at 1200 midday on Wednesday 30 June
• Entries will close as 1200 midday on Wednesday 7 July
• Results will be published on Tuesday 20 July

Age Groups and results

The Virtual British Championships will recognise every age group;

Development (U10)*         Aged 10 or below on 31 December 2021

Development (U12)*         Aged 11 or 12 on 31 December 2021

Youth (U15)                        Aged 13 to 15 on 31 December 2021

Youth (U17)                        Aged 16 or 17 on 31 December 2021

Junior (U20)                      Aged 18 to 20 on 31 December 2021

Under 23                          Aged 21 to 23 on 31 December 2021

Senior                               Aged 24 to 34 on 31 December 2021

Masters**                         Aged 35 or above on 31 December 2021

*The development lifters will be in body weight categories for those aged under 10 and under 12, not in body weight and school years. This means a lifter in the 40kg category could be aged 5 or 6 and will compete against a lifter aged 9 or 10 in the under 10 and under 12 age groups.

**Masters age groups will be in 5-year increments (35-39, 40-44, 45-49 etc up to 80+)

The top three lifters in each body weight category will be awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. The winners from each age group and category will be crowned ‘2021 Virtual British Champion’.

Placings will be determined according to Total for all age groups except Development, which will be scored using technique points. The winners of each age group will receive a medal.

Virtual Submissions

To enter you need to film yourself making three attempts at the snatch and clean & jerk and upload them to the competition webpage on Launchpad. We encourage lifters to ensure they use all three attempts to avoid missing out on a total due to a ‘no-lift’ for a single upload.

Your competition entries must be timestamped between midday on Wednesday 30 June and midday on Wednesday 7 July.

The minimum requirement for clothing at pre-recorded virtual competitions is the same as the Tier 3 requirements in the main TCRR’s:

· A T-shirt may be worn. The T-shirt must comply with the following criteria:

o Collarless

o Close-fitting

o Any colour

o No buttons or fasteners at the front of the neck

· Shorts or leggings may be worn. Shorts or legging must comply with the following criteria:

o Close-fitting

o Any colour

o Shorts must not cover the knees

· The full Costume from the main TCRR may be worn (TCCR 4 Lifters’ Outfit)

TCRRs and Virtual TCRRs

Rules and regulations in the TCRRs and virtual TCRRs.

Virtual Lift Guide

All lift attempts must be completed within three (3) hours of the end of the weigh 
in video. This will be monitored by the timestamp on each video.

Lifting can start at any time after the weigh in has finished.

There is no minimum or maximum time between attempts.

Any lift attempt video that starts outside the three (3) hour window will be given 
a ‘no-lift’ by the Technical Officials

Virtual Weigh in Guide

Follow this how-to video to ensure your entry meets the necessary requirements for how to film:

Your weigh in for a virtual competition

Any other questions or queries

If you have any further questions or queries please contact British Weight Lifting by emailing competitions@britishweightlifting.org or call 01132 249 402.