Young weightlifters competitive spirit celebrated at major event at Sandwell sports centre

Top young weightlifters from across Sandwell were among the success stories from a weekend of action as an national youth championship came to Oldbury.

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The England Age Group Championships for British Weight Lifting took place at Oldbury Academy from February 28 to March 2 and provided a platform for young athletes in the U10, U12, U15, U17, U20 and U23 categories to showcase their talent and compete on a national stage with athletes aspiring to compete at future Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

It was also an opportunity for Oldbury Academy to showcase itself as a major event venue as part of an ongoing legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which was co-hosted in Sandwell.

It was a big chance for young weightlifters from Sandwell to make their mark in front of a home crowd, with 17-year-old Lily Abed from Oldbury one of the big winners after she picked up Gold in the 49kg category in both Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

The event brought in youngsters from across the country to compete

Lily and many other aspiring athletes had been supported with a grant from Sandwell Council via the Gifted and Talented programme, which is helping lots of budding sports stars to reach their potential.

Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, Leader of Sandwell Council, said: “I am so pleased that Oldbury Academy was chosen to host these prestigious national championships, and I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making the event a huge success.

“This is all part of the legacy of Sandwell co-hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and it also shows the high regard in which Oldbury Academy’s facilities and commitment to weightlifting are held.

“I really enjoyed watching some of the competitions. It was a fantastic atmosphere at Oldbury Academy and the young athletes showed such dedication and commitment. These included young weightlifters supported by our Gifted and Talented programme.

The event was a fully interactive one, with spectators able to see who was where on the leaderboard

“I felt privileged to be invited to present medals to some of the competitors, including a gold medal to a Sandwell champion, Lily, who’s one of our Gifted and Talented athletes.”

The Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Syeda Khatun MBE and Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing Councillor Jackie Taylor also attended the event to represent Sandwell Council.

Oldbury Academy head teacher Barry Morley said: “Oldbury Academy recently had the honour of hosting the England Age Group Championships, an esteemed event in the British Weight Lifting calendar.

Emily Jackson from Sheffield gets a lift in

"These championships brought together young athletes from across the country from Tyneside to Dover all baying for the prize of England Champion.

“It was a brilliant three days of lifting, and we are proud that Oldbury Academy can play host to such prestigious and inspiring championships.

“We had winners from Oldbury, all of whom graduated from our Commonwealth Games legacy programme, so it is great to see the benefit of the Commonwealth Games continue to have such an impact.

Lily Abed from Oldbury, Georgia Jenkinson from Bromsgrove and Kara Bruce from Dudley are pictured with the Mayor of Sandwell Syeda Khatun with their medals from the event

“The other real success from these championships is the number of young people who enquired to join the club and get interested in Olympic weightlifting.

"Our goal is to provide a fun, engaging atmosphere to allow young people to inspire and be inspired.”