EIGHT British weightlifters with Olympic dreams fly out to France this week
to compete in the World Championships in Paris.
The first major event to be held during the qualification period for the
2012 Games, the World Championships is being staged at Disneyland Paris and
sees the best athletes from across the globe competing.
The female athletes competing are:
* Joanne Calvino, 31 and from London. Trains at Crystal Palace National
Sports Centre.
* Natasha Perdue, 36 and from Swansea. Trains at the HPC in Leeds.
* Hannah Powell, 18 and from Birmingham. Trains at the HPC in Leeds.
* Zoe Smith, 17 and from London. Trains at the HPC in Leeds.
The exact dates that each athlete will compete is yet to be finalised
depending on how each group within each bodyweight category is divided
during the technical meeting later in the week.
British Weight Lifting's Performance Manager Fiona Lothian said: "This is a
great opportunity for the GB athletes to put down a marker for London 2012
selection, the progress the athletes have made over the last few months
means we are now in a position to field a much bigger team than we sent to
the Worlds 2009 and 2010."
Athletes aiming to compete at the London 2012 Olympics have target weights
they need to achieve between now and May, which they must lift on two
occasions to be considered for selection.
Once the athlete has achieved the required mark, British Weight Lifting may
then nominate them, before final ratification by the British Olympic
Association.
