Member Article

Gateshead College teams up with 15 year old Olympian in weightlifting venture

Gateshead College has teamed up with a teenage sporting sensation to offer students the chance to strengthen their skills with a new weightlifting academy – a first for the region.

International weightlifting champion Rebekah Tiler from Denholme returned from the Commonwealth Games where she competed for England, to launch the only academy of its kind in the North of England.

At 15, Rebekah is the youngest weightlifter to be crowned as British Senior Champion, she also won gold and two silver medals at the recent European Youth Championships in Poland.

The teenage champion showcased her impressive weightlifting abilities to potential students and visitors at a launch event at the college’s Academy for Sport at the Gateshead International Stadium, where she also gave an insight into her meteoric rise to success.

Rebekah said: “It’s great to see that there is specialist support out there for those who are interested in weightlifting. The facilities and programme that the Academy for Sport has developed for the new weightlifting academy are great and will provide some fantastic opportunities for those who want to get into the sport.”

The exclusive weightlifting academy marks the opening of the thirteenth specialist sports academy at the Gateshead College Academy for Sport.

Lewis Pendleton, who led the introduction and tours at the launch event, said: “We are delighted to welcome all of the weightlifting experts to the launch of our new weightlifting academy, including the very talented Rebekah Tiler.

“The academy is working closely with British Weightlifting professionals to create a fantastic programme to improve strength and fitness in our Olympic standard gym, as well as to open up opportunities for sport in the North East.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .