Sarah Davies – About the Olympics and what’s next for her now

Sarah Davies, 28 and born in Preston, made her Olympic debut on July 27th – under the circumstances of the ongoing Corona pandemic, it was certainly a very special one.

Sarah has already been in Japan since July 14th. For most athletes, the immediate preparation for a competition takes place in the country or at least in the same time zone of the competition location. Due to the Corona measures, the individual sports of the Olympic Games were distributed throughout the country in training camps. The British Weightlifting Team stayed in Yokohama which is about 40 km south of Tokyo. A lot of time has passed since July 14th. It was a long trip, but it went by very quickly,”, said Sarah.

Arrived in the Olympic village there was not much time left until competition day of the up to 64 kg category. Nevertheless, the coexistence of athletes from countries all over the world and the most diverse sports is always a special experience, which each athlete absorbs and will never forget. “The Olympic Village is absolutely amazing. To have so many incredible people in one place, all pursuing the same goal, yet being so welcoming to each other, is fascinating – just a community.”

The preparation for the biggest competition of her career went well. Neither achieving competitive weight and complying to her diet nor the training performances felt difficult for Sarah. But July 27th was not to be her lucky day.

Sarah started the Olympic competition with 97 kg in the snatch. The lift was valid – but she first failed at 100 kg. Things just didn’t go according to plan. In order to still be able to take a medal, the Briton put on 133 kg in the last attempt of the clean and jerk. If she had made the lift she would have managed to take silver. Her best performance in competition so far is 129 kg, set at this year’s European Championships in Moscow, where she won silver – So she had to improve significantly.

But the load was simply too heavy at that moment. In tears, Sarah was the last weightlifter of the day to leave the stage. The disappointment was evident in her face. “I have very mixed feelings. If I had been told two years ago that I would finish 5th in my first Olympics, I would have been happy. But to be so close to a medal and then not win it is disappointing.”

After the competition, the athletes do not have much time to enjoy the atmosphere of the Games and the Olympic Village. Already two days after the end of the events they are asked to start their journey home. But for Sarah Davies, it’s not going straight back home. Because she fights not only for herself on the sage but also for her sport off the stage. As an official member of the IWF’s ten-member Athletes’ Commission, she will be participating in a meeting to fight for keeping weightlifting in the Olympic program.

Sarah Davies – a woman who, despite her own disappointments, never loses her love for weightlifting and is ready to fight for herself and many others. We are more than proud that she is part of the Weightlifting Shop athletes team!