WATCH: Hat trick of British records for teen weightlifter

Monday 29 July 2019

A 15-year-old weightlifter has added another Gold medal to her collection, snatched three new British records and increased her personal best by 9kg, all in the same competition.

It all happened at the Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club on 20 July, where Charlotte Neale was competing in the under 15 Youth, under 55kg category.

The young weightlifter had to do a total of six lifts, three ‘snatch’ – a single continuous movement whereby the athlete lifts the bar over the head to the full extent of both arms – and three ‘clean and jerks’ - a movement that involves two phases where the bar is lifted to the chest before being jerked overhead.

Video: Charlotte's 59kg lift. 

While Charlotte missed her first 55kg snatch, but she got it on the second try. In her lift, she snatched a British Record, with a total of 59kg. 

Her ‘clean and jerks’ were also record worthy, going from 69kg to 72kg and finally 74kg. 

But Charlotte also improved her own record as the combined weight of her highest snatch and clean and jerk increased by 9kg to 133kg.  

Video: Charlotte broke a record with her 74kg 'clean and jerk.'

“I was very surprised to know I had broken a record,” the young athlete said. “But I knew that if I had a very good day that it was possible. I was still surprised when I heard.

“I could feel I had done a good lift, but I didn’t realise I was a record until I was on the train back. I was quite happy!”

Since she started lifting weights in April 2018, as part of the 'Power to Podium' Programme of the Jersey Sport Foundation (JSF), which aims to prove Jersey can produce athletes able to compete at high level with a good coaching environment and the right system behind the athletes, Charlotte has been exceeding expectations.

Pictured: Charlotte was the first female from Jersey to ever take part in the British Junior Championships.

She made history at the British Junior Championships in September 2018 as the first female from Jersey to ever take part in the competition, after lifting nearly double the weight she needed to qualify for the competition.

Once there, after what was effectively only five months of training, Charlotte earned a Silver medal.

Earlier this year, she took Gold and scored a Champion title in the U15 category at the English National Junior Weightlifting Championships.

And it looks like she’s not going to stop anytime soon. Charlotte is actually already preparing for her next competition – the London Crystal Palace Senior Competition on 24 August.

Pictured: Charlotte has been training with the Jersey Sport Foundation for 15 months.

“I’m following my programme to make sure I can do heavier lifts,” she said.

The teen also has set her sights on the senior record, which is 30 kilos heavier than the junior one. “It’s very heavy,” she said. “I probably won’t do it this year, I need to improve my lifts to get there.” 

To do so, Charlotte trains four times a week at Fort Regent with the rest of her teammates, two of whom - Sam Petrean and Amy Moore – were with her at Bethnal Green and scored personal bests of 113kg and 134kg respectively.

Video: Charlotte's teammates, Sam Petrean and Amy Moore scored personal bests of 113kg and 134kg respectively at the competition.

She also spends time doing vaults and jumps in the gym, her first discipline of choice which she hasn’t quite given up on despite weightlifting taking more and more of her time.

As if that wasn’t enough, Charlotte will soon have to start working for her GCSE’s which she admits will involve “a lot of revising” starting from September.

In the meantime, though, Charlotte will get to take advantage of the warm temperatures. “I will probably be going to the beach and do some paddle boarding with my family.”