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14
Jul 2021
Harrogate weightlifter in pole position for Commonwealth Games
Harrogate weightlifter Jack Dobson has become British champion and put himself in pole position for a place at next year's Commonwealth Games.
Jack, 27, who went to Starbeck Primary Academy and Harrogate High School, achieved a 310kg total at the British Weightlifting Championships in Twickenham, London — 15 kg more than the runner-up.
It means he is currently British Weightlifting's top pick for the England men's 96 kg class at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but there are two more qualifying events at which rival lifters will have the opportunity to better his total and win selection.
In his first competition for two years because of covid, Jack hoisted 138 kg in the snatch and 172 kg in the clean and jerk, which are both slightly below his personal bests.
He said:
Jack's ambition is to represent his country internationally. He missed the chance to do so in Georgia in 2018 because of lack of funding. UK Sport does not currently fund weightlifting, which means Jack has to pay for his trips.
To make ends meet, he works as a coach at Black Wolf Fitness in Knaresborough and also works as a personal trainer, sports masseuse and as a staff member of the parks an environmental services department at Harrogate Borough Council. He says:
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Jack sometimes trains with fellow Starbuck man Luke Richardson, who has twice competed at the World's Strongest Man.
Many people mistake weightlifting for strongman, powerlifting or bodybuilding.
Weightlifting consists of two lifts: snatch and clean and jerk, with the winner achieving the highest overall total. It's an Olympic sport but only three British athletes — Zoe Smith, Emily Campbell and Sarah Davies — achieved the qualifying standard for this month's Tokyo Olympics.
Jack invested in some weights at home a few years ago so when gyms closed during covid he was able to improvise at home by adapting some wooden planks into a lifting platform.
Now he hopes the years of hard work will pay off with a place among the sporting elite at Birmingham 2022.
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