This year has been a transformation for me. Not just my strength has changed, but my technique and mindset as well. At the beginning of the year I focused on completely changing my technique. A few months later I was happy with the progress but was very frustrated with the lack of strength I had. I felt like I would never be able to get back to where I was last year before I got ill.
1st competition: January
At the beginning of the year, I competed at Crystal Palace, hitting a 57kg snatch and 67kg clean & jerk. I made two out of six of my lifts on this day, and even though my technique was improved, I didn’t feel like myself – weightlifting felt really foreign to me.
After this, I decided to programme myself. I needed to be in control of my training and listen to my body more. With the help of daily coaching from my teammates, I programmed myself for two weeks. It may not sound like very long… but, wow, two weeks can give you a LOT of progress.
2nd competition: February
I then competed at BU and hit a 64kg snatch and 74kg clean & jerk – a combined improvement of 14kg in 2 weeks. This gave me the confidence to carry on and focus on the British University & College Championships which were just a couple of months away.
3rd competition: April
I had six weeks of training in the lead up to the Championships. It was very up and down – some good weeks, some tougher weeks, but that’s just how it goes. I was planning on competing in the higher weight class but I made a last-minute decision to drop down to the lower weight class. With the help of fellow BU weightlifter Noorin Gulam (in fact, a lot of help), I cut nearly 6kg in five days.
However, I weighed in 0.5kg too heavy. I was frustrated but the judges still allowed me to lift and after hours of cutting water weight (through having saunas and hot baths), I hit a 62kg snatch and 76kg clean and jerk. Overall, I hit 5/6 of my lifts on the day which I was pleased with.
I’m now looking forward to getting back on the national stage for my last year of U20s in September and will hopefully hit a 70kg snatch again.
June 2019
