Lifter secures place at national championships

Rising weightlifting star Jonny Smith has claimed a place at a national championships after winning a silver medal while competing for the first time at a new weight category.

Smith, of Southwell, secured second place in the 94kg category at the British Under-23s Championships at the Phoenix Theatre, Castleford.

He decided to move up to the 94kg weight category after losing weight to lift at 85kg and putting in one of his worst performances.

Smith, who will lift at the English Championships in January as a senior, said: “The last time I competed at my old weight category, 85kg, before the contest I was at 90.5kg so I had to drop more than 5kg.

“I lost the weight but I lost a lot of strength as well and bombed out.

“I had my worst competition to date so I had to make a decision at that point and move up.

“It worked out very well because this was the best performance of my life.”

Smith, 20, qualified for the under-23 championship by lifting 110kg snatch and 140kg clean and jerk, a total weight of 240kg.

“I did at least 240kg most times in my old weight category, so I always had that down,” he said.

“But just to be sure I did a small competition that counted as a qualifier and I lifted enough.”

'I was really happy and was over the moon'

Smith lifted 110kg snatch and 140kg clean and jerk at the qualifying competition, which was held at the Atlas Workout Warehouse, Alfreton, where he trains six days a week.

He then competed against six others in the 94kg category at the national under-23 championships, where he was expecting to finish third at best.

He said: “When I looked at the start list it was quite competitive. There were two or three (capable of lifting) around the same weight as me and a couple who were above.

“One of the lifters was doing it as a warm-up for the European Championships and his results weren’t counted.

“A couple of people bombed out and there was someone else who I was expecting to do better.

“I thought I would do well to come third, which I would have been happy with. But I got second so I was even happier.”

In the snatch, Smith lifted 114kg on the first attempt and a personal best 118kg on the second. He failed to lift 121kg on his third attempt.

In the clean and jerk, he lifted 140kg on the first attempt, 145kg on the second and a personal best 150kg on the third.

His overall total of 268kg was enough to qualify for the English Championships.

“I was really happy and was over the moon,” he said. “I wasn’t focusing too much on the placing because I don’t like to look at what other people are doing when I am lifting.

“I find it distracting, so I just focus on my weights.”