Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Wisdom 4 Weightlifting [ENG] / Europa Weightlifting Club [ENG]: |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Reading, spending time with his dogs. (SBD Apparel YouTube channel, 01 Aug 2019; justgiving.com, 01 May 2018) |
Injuries |
He has undergone three knee operations [left knee in 2009, right knee in 2014 and 2016] and a reconstruction of his elbow during his career. He also tore the cartilage in his left knee in 2019 but decided not to have surgery. (SBD Apparel YouTube channel, 01 Aug 2019; roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 18 Jan 2018)
In March 2016 he suffered an arm injury that forced him to miss the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and kept him out of action for 18 months. (justgiving.com, 01 May 2018)
A dislocated elbow sustained during the competition forced him to withdraw from the 2016 European Championships in Forde, Norway. (bbc.co.uk, 13 Apr 2016)
A back injury affected his performance at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. (newsshopper.co.uk, 22 Nov 2010) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
He was training at Europa Gymnastics Club and a coach suggested weightlifting to him. He tried it and thought it was better than gymnastics. "I began weightlifting by complete accident. A gymnastics coach said you're quite strong, you move well, why don't you have a go at it. Once I'd done it for a couple of months I knew that's what I wanted to do." |
General Interest |
Most influential person in career |
Coach Andrew Callard. (britishweightlifting.org, 31 Mar 2012; bexleytimes.co.uk, 17 Mar 2011) |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (SBD Apparel YouTube channel, 01 Aug 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Training Regime |
He trains six days a week, practising for up to three hours each session. He limits himself to 12 weeks of hard training before an event. |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began weightlifting at age 14 at the Europa Club in Erith, England. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete, Business Owner, Coach |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Jack The Snatch (thisislocallondon.co.uk, 01 Aug 2012) |
Other information |
OCCUPATION He is a co-owner of the Wisdom 4 Weightlifting club in Leeds, England. (Instagram profile, 03 Sep 2019) |
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
He never begins his lift unless there is less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock. (thepop.org.uk, 24 Aug 2013) |
Hero / Idol |
Actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 18 Jan 2018) |
Awards and honours |
He was named the 2013 British Weight Lifting [BWL] Athlete of the Year. (insidethegames.biz, 31 Dec 2013) |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Language Studies - Classical - University of Leeds: England |
General Interest |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning silver in the 77kg category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. (SBD Apparel YouTube channel, 01 Aug 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Dave Sawyer [national] |