It has been another fantastic period for Welsh weightlifting on the platform, with athletes from across the country achieving success on both high level national and international stages. From the next generation of young lifters competing for British Age Group titles, to experienced Welsh Masters athletes representing Wales on the world stage.

The performances provide another positive reflection of the work taking place across Weightlifting Wales clubs, coaches and athlete pathways, with Welsh lifters continuing to make their mark at competitions across the UK and internationally.

The next generation of Welsh weightlifting talent took to the national stage this weekend as athletes from across Wales competed at the 2026 British Age Group Championships in Huddersfield.

Held at Royds Hall Sports Centre in Huddersfield on 3–4 October, the British Age Group Championships brought together some of the UK's leading young weightlifters, providing an important opportunity for athletes to test themselves against the best in their respective age groups and continue their development within the British Weight Lifting pathway.

For Weightlifting Wales, the British Age Group Championships represent an important fixture in the annual competition calendar, providing Welsh athletes with experience of competing at a high-level national event and giving them the opportunity to benchmark their progress against athletes from across Great Britain.

A total of 23 Welsh athletes stepped up on the platform across the two days of competition, and all did tremendously well with many lifting new competiton personal bests as well as some breaking British and Welsh records. Furthermore, 19 medals were achieved by our Welsh group - 13 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze. This represents an outstanding display of lifting and helps reaps the rewards of all their hard work in training in preparation for such moments.

While podium finishes are always celebrated, the British Age Group Championships provide much more than medals alone. Competing at a national age group championship allows our young athletes to experience a higher level of competition, learn how to perform under pressure, and benchmark themselves against the best athletes in Great Britain. These experiences are an important part of athlete development and help prepare lifters for future opportunities at junior, senior and international level. 

Congratulations to all involved. The future of Welsh weightlifting continues to shine bright.

You can find the full list of results from our Welsh lifters at the 2026 British Age Group Championships in the below graphics:

While the country's young lifters were competing in Huddersfield, Welsh Masters athletes had already been making their mark internationally at the 2026 World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Athens, Greece. Held from 17–26 September, the championships brought together athletes from across the international weightlifting community, showcasing the dedication, technical ability and competitive spirit of Masters athletes.

As part of the strong GB Masters squad, there were two of our Welsh athletes. These were Lindsay Atkinson and Christopher Jenkins. Their selections is a testament to their dedication to the sport and demonstrates that the opportunities available to weightlifters in the Masters categories. 

First up to the platform was Christopher on the Tuesday 22nd September in the Male 45 age, 110kg category. He did tremendously well on his snatches going 3 successful lifts from 3 of 91kg, 100kg, and 103kg, with the 103kg best lift putting him in 7th place after the completion of the snatch part of the competition. For the Clean and Jerk, Chris went successful with lifts of 132kg and 143kg, but unfortunately just missed out on a final 151kg attempt. This gave Chris results of 103/143 - 246kg total and a 6th place ranked finish.

Later in the week on Friday 25th September, it was Lindsay's turn in the Women 35 age, 61kg category. Lindsay competed in Group B in this category in which there was 3 different groups for, and so plenty of competition for Lindsay to battle against. She did tremendously by going 4 out of 6 in successful lifts for the competition and finished up with results of: 61/74 - 135kg total and a final ranked position of 18th

Weightlifting Wales would like to congratulate Lindsay Atkinson and Christopher Jenkins on their participation at the 2026 World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Athens. Taking to the platform at a World Championships is a significant achievement and reflects the commitment, preparation and passion required to compete at international level.

Their journeys highlight the continuing strength of Welsh Masters weightlifting and the importance of ensuring that competitive opportunities remain at all ages within our sport. 

We look forward to delivering the Masters Open competition on Sunday 29th November in Bangor, which is going to be an important qualifiying opportunity for Masters athletes across the UK to be selected for international Masters competitions in 2027, as well as qualifying for the 2027 British Masters. 

Masters Open & Home Nations Open (winter)