WEIGHTLIFTING

Livingston weightlifter Beth Ashbee is hoping an impressive performance at the Commonwealth Championships next week will help her achieve her dream of representing Scotland at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Beth (pictured right) is set to mix it with some of the best weightlifters in the world in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with the competition running from December 7-17 and goes there confident she can produce a performance that will help her Commonwealth Games cause.

Speaking to the Courier, she said: “This is the top event that I will have competed in so far in my career but I’m going there full of confidence.

“The aim is to perform well and get a decent score that will then help with the Commonwealth rankings. The dream is to qualifying for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“I would love to be picked for the team for Birmingham and be able to compete in that event.”

Beth has been weightlifting for four years but took some time off two years ago for the birth of her daughter before then taking the sport back up during the pandemic.

She admits it’s been a tough road since her return, but that hasn’t stopped her pushing hard to achieve her goals.

She said: “Training has been going well. There have definitely been some very tough and challenging sessions, but that’s the life of an athlete and you need to push through.

“I came back in October 2020 and it was a real struggle with it still being in the middle of the pandemic.

“Trying to cut my weight down to competition weight as well as trying to train and push on was very difficult with everything still being shut.

“My coach, Darren Marr of Marrvelous Lifting Club, was a huge help and gave me some kit so I could continue training throughout lockdown.”

Beth would like to thank her sponsors, SLC Physiotherapy, for all their support.