An 18-year-old powerlifter from Redditch has won two gold medals at a world championship despite an endometriosis flare-up that left her in severe pain and made the weeks before competition particularly difficult.
Lhamo Weston also secured silver and bronze across three events at the World Sub-Junior & Junior Powerlifting Championships in South Africa last month, finishing second overall in the Under 57kg category.
Her victories came in the squat and deadlift, while she took bronze in the bench press. It was the first time Weston had competed at international level after taking up powerlifting just three years ago, encouraged by her brother.
A rapid rise to the world stage
Weston entered the competition with ambitions of reaching the podium, although she said she had not expected to challenge for gold.
“It felt incredible to be completely honest. I went into it with expectations of potentially reaching podium,” she said. “I didn’t initially expect to place second or even have a chance at placing first.”
The result places the teenager among the world’s leading athletes in her weight class at sub-junior and junior level. It also marks a remarkable achievement for someone who began lifting relatively recently and is still finding her way on the international stage.
Powerlifting consists of three competitive lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. Athletes are ranked according to their performance, with the combined result determining overall placement.
Pain, fatigue and the pressure of making weight
Weston’s success came after endometriosis significantly disrupted her preparation. The condition occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it, potentially causing pain, fatigue and other symptoms that vary between individuals.
It affects around one in 10 women in the UK, although many experience delays in diagnosis because its symptoms can be misunderstood or attributed to other conditions. Endometriosis is not simply severe period pain and can affect daily life, training, work and education.
For Weston, the flare-up brought “excruciating amounts of pain”, along with repeated problems with making weight for her category. She also experienced tiredness and back pain that felt similar to an injury, complicating both her preparation and confidence during training.
“It
