St Andrews weightlifter new BUCS Champion
Sarah Wright is crowned British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) 76kg category champion 2022!
On Tuesday 12th April, the University of St Andrews Weightlifting club travelled to St Mary’s University in Twickenham to compete in the BUCS championships, Sarah was competing in the Women’s 76kg category. Weightlifting is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with the athlete lifting the heaviest combined weight being crowned the winner. This championship is the highest level that individuals can compete for their university and to compete in BUCS, individuals must qualify, by lifting a predetermined weight total outlined by British Weightlifting that varies with weight category.
Eric Paliotta (UStA Weightlifting Club president) has said “Sarah has worked incredibly hard over the last two years, training as a complete beginner in 2019, was disrupted by the pandemic and then returning to training 4x per week to have the chance of competing against individuals that have been competing in the sport of upwards of 5 years. Over the two semesters alone, Sarah has added 10kg to her Clean and Jerk, and 20kg to her Snatch.”
Ashley Rice (Kit Officer 21/22) added “Sarah is a dedicated and extremely hard-working member of the UStA Olympic Weightlifting club. Her positive mindset has been a key asset to our club’s improvement and we are sad to lose her as a committee treasurer and member next year. We are so proud of her achievements at BUCS 2022 and hope she will aim high in her future beyond St Andrews.”