Ipswich man joined gym and now represents England as weightlifter
Cleverley said he "jokingly" tried a powerlifting competition in 2022 and quickly realised he enjoyed it before "it all took off" last year."When I joined the gym we had the old lot here that used to lift. I was thinking I'm never going to get anywhere near them," he said."A few of them took me under their wing, trained me up and got me to know the basics and here we are."
He travelled to South Africa for the Commonwealth Games and won his category.Impressively he now can squat 300kg (47st) and he will compete for England in the Small Nations competition in Luxembourg at the end of the month."I'll be competing as my first category for the senior men's and I'm predicted second already so I just need to hold that and hopefully if I could get first it would be great," he said."But second is just as amazing, as going from a junior to a senior is a big jump and being the youngest there by a few years you'll definitely notice it when you're there."
Cleverley fits his training around his job as a lorry technician at Chassis Cab. "I wouldn't have been able to go to the Commonwealths without them," he said of his employer, which is also supporting him at the Small Nations competition."It's means everything. When they said they would sponsor me I was thrilled because it's having that behind me."Cleverley admits he is a "nervous person", but encouraged anyone thinking of trying powerlifting to "just do it".
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's only female basketball pundit is PE teacher aiming for the Olympics
Rather than taking the traditional coaching path after retiring from the Caledonia Gladiators, former pro player Rona Lightbody chose a lesser-travelled route for former players - sports commentary. From the basketball court to the commentary booth, Rona Lightbody is far from your average PE teacher. And now, the former professional basketball player turned commentator is on a mission to raise the profile of the women's sport across the UK in her role commentating on games on BBC and DAZN. The Glasgow-based mother, who retired from East Kilbride-based Caledonia Gladiators in 2023, is now championing the game from the sidelines, having become Scotland's only professional female basketball commentator. Rona began her career with amateur club St Mirren but spent the majority of her playing time with the Lady Rocks, which made space for what is now Caledonia Gladiators - Scotland's only professional basketball franchise. As a skilful and determined player, known for her tenacious playing style, her career took her to Spain to play for Reus Ploms followed by a stint in London before she eventually returned home to Scotland in 2019. After becoming pregnant in 2023, half-way through her first professional season with Caledonia Gladiators, Rona made the decision to step away from competitive sport. Rather than taking the traditional coaching path, she chose a lesser-travelled route for former players - sports commentary. She has commentated on over 50 professional games and has worked for both the BBC and streaming site DAZN. Rona is now setting her sights set on broadcasting at the Commonwealth Games, and possibly even the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She said: 'What started out as a hobby and a way to pass time during lockdown has turned into an actual career opportunity. I would love to be involved in the Commonwealth Games and potentially even the Olympics, representing Scotland as our only female basketball broadcaster. 'Commentating on basketball isn't like a football game. It's much more fast-paced, and there is an art to picking the moment to highlight. Having played for 25 years, I know the game incredibly well, so I am able to pinpoint the aspects which are the most exciting to spectators. 'Preparation is key. You've got to know your stats, your player stories, and be ready to narrate the flow of the game in real-time. And there's a lot more pressure when commentating on the men's game, as people naturally view female commentators differently in the context of men's sports.' Rona first found a passion for broadcasting during Covid when she was asked to commentate on Caledonia Pride games by Lisa Palombo, head of professional teams at Caledonia Gladiators, to help promote the game. With basketball's popularity rising and women's sport gaining unprecedented visibility, she believes there's a collective responsibility to champion the game's benefits. She said: 'Rome wasn't built in a day, but we have seen so many positive developments in women's basketball in recent years, and Caledonia Gladiators have been instrumental in making the game accessible beyond the school system. 'The game has been such a big part of my life for 25 years, and I feel a responsibility to do my part to increase the visibility of the benefits it can bring to a community. 'In sport the focus is often on the attracting the youth to sustain growth, but there is also a responsibility to ensure we don't lose experience. When players move on, they often disappear from the game, and that loss of knowledge weakens the ecosystem. 'Coaching isn't the only path; there are so many other ways you can stay involved in the game.' As both a commentator and PE teacher, Rona is passionate about inspiring young people to stay active and engaged with sport. Rona went on: 'I see first-hand the impact sport has on young people, physically, mentally, and socially. It builds confidence, teamwork, and communication. Basketball, in particular, is a great school sport because it's so accessible especially with the growth of 3x3, but I'd love to see more people stick with it beyond school. 'Having Caledonia Gladiators in Scotland really is crucial for developing the game, and they have done a fantastic job in developing the game-experience for fans.' Earlier this year, Caledonia Gladiators became the first women's basketball team in Scotland to attract over 1000 fans to a home game. The historic milestone came just weeks after they secured major silverware, winning the Super League Basketball Trophy Final in January 2025. Lisa Palombo said: 'Rona is a shining example of the opportunities sport can provide women on and off the court. She was always a headstrong player that took everything on with gusto and she has carried that same natural flair she had for playing into commentary. "She was always willing to put her all into the first step without knowing what would come next. We're lucky to have her advocating for the sport and supporting the club in such a powerful way.'
Daily Record
10 hours ago
- Daily Record
Livingston runner who beat Laura Muir sets sights on GB place at World Championships
Sarah Calvert stunned elite athlete Muir to win the UK 1500m title A Livingston post-grad medical student who pipped Laura Muir to a major UK title has set her sights on making the GB team for next month's World Championships. Sarah Calvert, 24, became an overnight sensation after beating Muir to the 1500m post by five hundredths of a second at the UK Championships in Birmingham in the first weekend of August, and joked that she knew of her fame when a Wikipedia page appeared. Former Linlithgow Academy pupil Calvert has now set her sights on achieving the 4.01.50 World Championships qualifying standard for Tokyo. She told BBC Sport: 'As soon as I crossed the line, I knew it was crazy. I knew this was the biggest moment of my life. 'Afterwards, I had my first anti-doping test, so that was another good experience. 'Since then, I've had so many messages from people from school, from all my friends, from my parents' friends – it makes it all seem very special. 'My dad sent me a text to tell me I've got a Wikipedia page now. It's just kind of insane. I didn't really expect it to blow up like this. 'It feels incredible. I did not expect this ever to happen, but especially not with being busy in May, studying for exams – that was pretty stressful for me.' Livingston Athletics Club runner Calvert, who is studying at Edinburgh University, reckoned she had 'absolutely no chance' of making the GB team for Tokyo, but said: 'It still seems pretty far off, because I need to run a big personal best, I think I just have to go for it.' Calvert's career was nearly over before it began, as she underwent an operation for the back condition scoliosis aged 15, leaving her sidelined for a year. 'It was a really tough and scary time in my life,' Calvert told Scottish Athletics. 'I had metal rods inserted in my back and, yes, they are still there. 'My family and I went through a lot at that time, and couldn't do any exercise at all for a year. 'I remember at the time thinking 'when will I get back to running again', will I even be able to improve my personal bests? I was thinking 'will I ever run again'. 'Then, getting back, it took so long to be fit. I never knew if I would win races again, and get to the top in my age groups.' Now, aged 25, Sarah trains in the morning, cycles to a hospital placement and trains in the evenings. She said: 'I often worry that I'm compromising running for medicine and then the other way around, but I think I just have to accept that I want to be a runner, and I want to be a doctor at some point in my life. 'So for now, the best way for me to do it is to combine the two. I rarely have to miss training for medicine, so I make it work pretty well.' Calvert clocked a Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 4mins 04.33secs to finish fourth at the Flanders International meeting in Oordegem, Belgium, taking almost four seconds off her personal best. Though outside the World Championships qualifying time, she still has time to chase the Tokyo mark. Sarah's younger sister Isla is also a middle-distance runner.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Argyle in transfer 'no man's land'
Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley says the club are no closer to bringing in a new striker or central who took over as Argyle boss in the summer, has identified the two positions as key areas for have been chasing an experienced central striker all summer, while a new central defender has become more of a priority after Julio Pleguezuelo had knee surgery."Everyone's working as hard as they possibly can," Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon."The hard work is going on behind the scenes."We're in that no man's land of the window - the majority on the business gets done really early or in the last week and we're in that no man's land where itl;s a bit of a stalemate between clubs."On the club's search for a central defender Cleverley added:"It's really tough. A lot of things need to align, if you've not got the money to blow everyone in the league out of the water, so it is how it is."I don't want to go into too much detail because I'd be revealing other clubs' issues or players', but there's more than just geographical and financial issues when trying to do these deals and we're suffering a couple of those challenges at the minute."
