Pembrokeshire’s Olympic Weightlifting Team securing international medals post Covid lockdown – Wales’ first international competition since the beginning of the pandemic.

The County of Pembrokeshire is well known as a powerhouse in Wales for Olympic Weightlifting success.

In May, a team of 9 Welsh weightlifters competed for their county in the Grand Prix international. A Women’s only international event.

This year, due to Covid, the event which is usually held at Tenerife was held on a virtual platform.

Pembrokeshire had an extremely strong representation on the Welsh team, with over 5 of the 9 athletes from the Pembrokeshire strong hold.

This has been Wales’ first international competition since the beginning of the pandemic.

The team included talented athletes from Strength Academy Wales and South Pembs Weightlifting Club

Mena Williams

Grace Morris

Seren Mitchell

Lotty Whalley

Chloe Hood

All 5 athletes have trained through all lockdowns at home, with vital support from parents and from the Weightlifting organisation gifting weightlifting equipment, used to set up home gyms and to continue their training and development at home with weekly zoom sessions organised by the volunteer coaches, not only for training purposes but as a way to maintain motivation and wellbeing, in a virtual group training environment.

All athletes performed extremely well against a very strong international representation, including weightlifters from Germany, India, USA, Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg, France, Austria and many others. In total 20 countries competed in this high level event.

From Strength Academy Wales there were incredible performances from the Nations talented u17 and u20 athletes.

Both Lotty Whalley and Chloe Hood won Bronze medallists for Team Wales.

Also a special mention for Lotty Whalley who has also recently spent time at Nottingham University, selected by British Weightlifting to attend the first British youth training camp since the pandemic.

Lotty is currently the highest ranked athlete in her age group in Wales and in Great Britian.

Strength Academy Wales, now relocated to the Riverside Shopping Centre at Haverfordwest and is actively recruiting local youths and adults to join their prestigious Olympic Weightlifitng squad. All are welcome for recreational training and for performance training leading to competitive events.