Former King’s School student powers to a place in a GB World Cup team

Former King’s School student Tommy Smith has been selected to represent Great Britain in the 2021 Para-Powerlifting World Cup in Manchester next month.

The selection has moved Tommy a step closer to fulfilling his ambition of competing for his country in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Paralympics.

Born with Achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, Tommy has had a keen interest in sports from a very young age and when nine years-old he joined the Dwarf Sports Association, and it was at this point that he started to get involved in competitive sports.

Throughout his secondary school education, Tommy continued to compete in sports and his natural ability was soon spotted by a sports talent scout.

This opportunity steered Tommy towards competitive para-powerlifting, a passion that continues to grow as he moves further up the ladder towards becoming an elite athlete.

After completing his secondary education at King’s School in Peterborough, Tommy enrolled with Cambridge Regional College to study sports and he has spent the last three years working his way up from BTEC L2 to L4 HNC, all while training and competing in para-powerlifting.

Tommy has a long-term aim to see his studies through to a full degree after which he plans to pursue a career in Sports and Performance Analysis.

Tommy, who lives in Huntingdon, said: “I chose to study at Cambridge Regional College because the 3-day study programme allowed me to achieve my qualification while keeping on track with my Para Powerlifting training.

“This became even more important when considering my higher-level studies, as I was starting to work towards qualifying for the 2024 Paralympic Games.

“The courses offered me the flexibility I needed to train whilst providing me with the opportunity to fulfil my academic ambitions.”

The World Cup takes place from March 25-28.

The 19-year-old is part of a 13-strong squad and will compete in the men’s U54kg category.

He won a junior bronze at the same event last year with a lift of 97kg, good enough to also place him seventh in the senior competition.

• This area boasts several excellent para-athletes. Shooter Matt Skelhon, a multiple Paralympic medallist, has already been selected for this year’s Tokyo Paralympics and rower James Fox can also expect selection.

Lauren Steadman, from Sawtry, competed in three Paralympics in swimming and in triathlon.

Tommy Smith proudly shows off the spoils of his success.

Tommy Smith is a picture of concentration before a lift.