Hannah carrying the weight of success

by Faith Eckersall

For most young working mums, evening is usually the time to put their feet up after a hectic day.

Not Hannah Lewis of Merley. When her two children, aged three and four are asleep, the part-time teacher goes into her garden and starts her training, lifting weights.

“It’s the only way I can do this and keep on top of everything else,” she admits.

Last month she entered the European Masters Championships in Waterford, Ireland, where she came first in her class, for women aged 35-39 and who weigh under 81kg.

“I was amazed to come top,” says Hannah. Her achievement is even more astonishing because she only took up Olympic Weightlifting in September last year.

A friend, Dan Eccleston of South Coast Weightlifting in Poole, noticed her aptitude and offered to coach her, and she entered her first competition in December 2022.

“I was doing CrossFit but since then, I started training with weights, mostly in the evenings in the garden, when the kids are asleep,” she says. Sporting success isn’t anything new for Hannah, however, as she is a former Great Britain trampolinist – she became the Junior European champion – before breaking her vertebrae in three places.

“I spent years rehabbing my back, getting stronger and fitter and now I have the chance to go to the World Masters in Poland in August,” she says.

In between her training, and working part-time as a teacher at Talbot Primary in Wallisdown, Hannah has now added fundraising to her list of things to do.

“I’ve been sponsored by the amazing Hive & Partners Estate Agents in Bournemouth, but I’m looking for some more sponsorship so I can get to the World Masters in August,” she says.

“I’m nearly halfway to my £800 target but I need to raise more, so I’ve started a GoFundMe.”

Going professional is not an option for her, but she says: “I’d like to keep competing and earn a World title, and hope, too, that in doing this I can inspire more mums and women to get into this sport.”

To support Hannah visit gofundme.com/f/ to-compete-at-the-masters-European-andworlds.