Metro (UK)

Carry on chasing your dreams, urges Emily

- PICTURE: REUTERS WEIGHTLIFT­ING by MATTHEW NASH

EMILY CAMPBELL wants to be an inspiratio­n to young girls after winning Britain’s first women’s Olympic weightlift­ing medal.

The 27-year-old only picked up a bar-bell five years ago as part of her strength training as an athlete but yesterday clinched silver in the women’s +87kg. China’s Li Wenwen took gold with a cumulative Olympic record total of 320kg.

Fourth after the snatch element of the event, Campbell seized her chance when South Korean Seon Mi Lee failed at 155kg in her last attempt at the clean-and-jerk.

The Briton responded by lifting 156kg to guarantee her historic medal, then repeated the feat with 161kg to move into silver after American Sarah Robles failed at 157kg, roaring her delight as she exited the stage.

Campbell, who won European gold in Moscow earlier this year, said: ‘I have definitely proved to anybody that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it.

‘I first picked up a bar-bell five years ago and now I’m an Olympic medallist. It’s wild and surreal, and it’ll probably take me a long time to get my head around it.

‘My sole aim in this life is to inspire someone to follow their dreams and if I can help those little girls find their dream, even if it’s playing a musical instrument, if they can pick that up and follow their dreams, then I’m very happy.’

Campbell, from Bulwell, near Nottingham, admitted her family and friends would be ‘going absolutely nuts’, adding: ‘Every time I go to the local market they give me free fruit and veg, the cobbler sorts out my boots for me, they raise money for me.

‘I just want to say thank you. This kid who was born and raised in Bulwell is now an Olympic medallist.

‘I’m the first female to win a [weightlift­ing] medal for Great Britain and that’s something that is going to stay with me for ever.’

Campbell’s performanc­e came amid huge interest in New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, the

It’s wild and surreal and it’ll probably take me a long time to get my head around it

first transgende­r athlete to appear in the Games, who exited prematurel­y after failing to register a lift in the snatch.

A failure on her second lift of 122kg did not bode well for Campbell but she managed it at the second attempt and went on to excel in the clean-and-jerk with the second-highest score behind Li.

 ??  ?? Heavy duty: Campbell in action and (inset) with the silver medal
Heavy duty: Campbell in action and (inset) with the silver medal

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