Active Black Country Supports Adaptive Weightlifting in Sandwell

Bex Kenton:  “Everyone was helpful and it felt inclusive. It’s not just about lifting it’s the whole experience, the environment, the people.”

Holly Wright:   “I think more people should feel like they have a space to be physically active after a life changing injury instead of facing barriers that are currently in place for people trying to access sport.”

Two participants involved in British Weightlifting’s second Adaptive Open at Oldbury Academy have hailed the event for providing an inclusive platform for adaptive athletes and raising awareness of the challenges they face in accessing sport.

The Sandwell venue brought adaptive athletes together from across the UK to compete in a series of lifting events, highlighting how people can overcome barriers to physical activity and enjoy the benefits.

Active Black Country provided safeguarding and sport welfare support for British Weightlifting’s event and helped to capture participant feedback.

“ABC’s support, particularly the work led by Sport Welfare Officer Liz Griffin, has been invaluable in strengthening our safeguarding and welfare operations,” a spokesperson from the sports federation said.

“Their data capture and on-site discussions across several BWL events has enhanced our ability to deliver a safe, welcoming environment for athletes, coaches and spectators. The insight and feedback captured by Liz has already begun to shape positive developments in our future event delivery and internal safeguarding processes.”

The event welcomed athletes across a wide range of classifications, including: upper/lower extremity; neuromuscular; seated; multi-extremity impairments; short stature; and blind athletes.

Visually impaired athlete Bex Kenton (pictured right), who only started weightlifting last year after doing CrossFit since 2018, surprised herself after chalking up personal bests in both lifts – a 4kg PB and the snatch.

“Being visually impaired does bring its own challenges. Balance is a big one, which is why I’ve often defaulted to a push jerk instead of a split jerk for me, it’s more stable,” Becky says.

“And when you’re learning lifts, the way they’re coached matters so much. My coaches are really good at describing positions and movement in detail not just showing it but explaining it step by step in a way I can understand and visualise in my own way.”

Bex praised British Weightlifting’s organisation of the event, her second after the inaugural Adaptive Open last year, saying the federation gave clear pre-event information, which allowed screen readers to make everything accessible for her. “Everyone was helpful and it felt inclusive. It’s not just about lifting it’s the whole experience, the environment, the people. I’ve worked hard to get here, and this is only the start,” Bex adds.

Lifting aids recovery from life-changing injury

Holly Wright (pictured below) has a C4 incomplete spinal cord injury, which affects her body from the collarbone down after an accident in 2019. She describes the Adaptive Open as “strangely terrifying and addictive all at the same time”.

Holly competed after being persuaded by her friend who also participated. “It was great fun. Weightlifting is not my strong suit at all, but I love the fact this event takes that into account. There is no expectation to win! Just come along and take part, and I love that. The event gives you a space where you can lift but no-one is judging you,” says Holly, who plans to add more weightlifting into her workouts alongside CrossFit.

“Being physically active since my injury has been key to my recovery. If you don’t have strength or some kind of entry into fitness after a life-changing injury, I think it not only dramatically changes the outcome of the first one to five years but also impacts what the long-term health is going to be.

“I think more people should feel like they have a space to be physically active after a life-changing injury instead of facing barriers that are currently in place for people trying to access sport.”

Commenting on British Weightlifting’s organisation of the Adaptive Open, she says: “It was great being able to speak to the federation prior to the event to discuss my needs and lifting style, as adaptive lifting will look different for each individual and won’t always be textbook like it is with standard competitions."

Holly looks forward to seeing the Adaptive Open gain a bigger profile on the national and regional stage. “The more people who spread the word means more people find out that there are events out there for them, where they can take part and be involved and it isn’t a closed door for them," she adds. "It’s nice to feel like I’m surrounded by people like me. I have a space, I belong and I will absolutely be back next year.”