Zoe Newson

Started: She began powerlifting at age 14 at the East Bergholt Sports Centre in England. She competed for the first time in 2008 in Cardiff, Wales. (britishweightlifting.co.uk, 30 Mar 2021; Athlete, 20 May 2019) Reason: "My old coach was at my high school to do a talk about the army as he was in it. I was playing badminton at lunchtime and my coach was looking round the school. He came over to me and said because of my height I would be good at it [Para powerlifting]. I said no, came home, and spoke to my parents and they said try it and if you don't like it, give it up. I tried it, and enjoyed it." (britishweightlifting.co.uk, 30 Mar 2021; results.gc2018.com, 24 Feb 2013) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (britishweightlifting.org, 14 Mar 2024) Milestones: She became the first Para powerlifter representing England to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games by claiming victory in the women's lightweight category at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Aug 2022) Awards: She was named 2022 Para Powerlifter of the Year by British Weight Lifting. (tresamagazine.com, 19 Jul 2023; britishweightlifting.org, 01 Jan 2023) In 2022 she was named Sports Personality of the Year at the Active Suffolk Awards in England. She also won the award in 2016. (Instagram profile, 18 Nov 2022; ipswichstar.co.uk, 30 May 2017) In October 2013 she received an honorary fellowship from the University Campus of Suffolk [UCS]. (eadt.co.uk, 24 Nov 2013) In 2012 she was named Sports Personality of the Year by Suffolk County Council. (eadt.co.uk, 04 Feb 2021; suffolkspartans.co.uk, 20 Oct 2012) In 2008 she was named Best Newcomer at the Wheelpower Sports Awards in Great Britain. (suffolkspartans.co.uk, 17 Aug 2010) Additional Info: CLUB CLOSURE In 2023 her club Suffolk Spartans announced that it would be closing due to financial reasons. She had trained at the club in East Bergholt, England, since 2007. "They've been like my second family - we train together every Friday and have a laugh. They support me so much and they've been with me since I first started powerlifting and, all of a sudden, it's goodbye really. We tried to get grants and stuff like that, but nothing seems to be working." (bbc.com, 20 Jul 2023) MOTHERHOOD In January 2019 she gave birth to her son Duncan six weeks early as he had grown too big for the womb. Duncan then spent a further six weeks in hospital due to complications. Newson returned to competition less than six months after giving birth. "Duncan wasn't planned - it was a shock when I found out I was pregnant. I thought it was my career over, but luckily I've got back into it. He weighed about six pounds [2.72 kilograms] when he was born, and they said if I went full term, he would have been 10 [4.53 kilograms]. Despite how big he was, I didn't really put that much weight on, so it was easy to lose that bit of weight. When he was born, there was something wrong with his stomach, and then it was his oxygen levels, so it was mostly six weeks being a prisoner in hospital." (bbc.co.uk, 19 Feb 2020) EPILEPSY She was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2011. "I've only had one fit [seizure]; it was in 2011. I was getting ready to watch my brother play football. I got out of the shower and [was] using the hairdryer and I had a fit. My parents thought I had electrocuted myself. From there I had tests which showed I was epileptic. When we go to competitions, I don't always go to the ceremonies because of the flashing lights." (britishweightlifting.co.uk, 30 Mar 2021)