Teen weightlifter gears up for the new year

Wednesday 02 January 2019

After just eight months of weight training, 14-year-old Charlotte Neale has already gone from strength to strength in 2018.

Despite her young age and relative newness to the sport, Charlotte has been challenging stereotypes about who can lift, having already earned her place on the podium in national competitions.

Charlotte started training in April as part of a ten-strong team of weightlifting women in a bid to become the island’s first ever group of female athletes to compete in the sport at an Olympic level.

Pictured: Charlotte has only been lifting since April, but she's gone from strength to strength in the sport.

During her first ever competition earlier this year, Charlotte lifted nearly double the weight she needed to qualify for the British Championships. Her talent in the sport has led several to speculate that she has the potential to win medals at an Olympic level. 

Fresh from making history by being the first Jersey woman to compete in the British Weightlifting Championships where she won a silver medal during what was only her second ever competition, the Hautlieu student looks ahead to the new year with Express... 

Pictured: The teenager won a silver medal at the British Championships - only her second ever competition in the sport.

What was your key achievement in 2018?

My biggest achievements in 2018 were probably coming 2nd at British Youth Championships and being invited onto the English Youth Squad. 

Pictured: Some other members of the Jersey Sport Foundation's 'Power to Podium' team training to compete at an Olympic level.

What do you want to achieve in 2019?

I would like to get a competition total of 125kg and go to the British and English Youth Championships and see my progress.

What are your plans for Christmas and the New Year? 

I plan on spending Christmas with my family and the rest of the holidays meeting up with friends.