Local lifter Lily gets international call-up

10 Jul 2024

Published in: Member News

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A Black Country powerlifter has been called up to the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships

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A Stourbridge powerlifter has been chosen as part of the Commonwealth team that will represent England on the World stage.

Lily Smalley, 20, only started powerlifting in September 2023 and has taken the sport by storm, culminating in a third-place finish at the English Powerlifting Championships in June 2024.

As a result, she has now received an invitation to travel with the England squad to Sun City, South Africa in October and will compete as a reserve at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships.

Alongside her lifting, Lily is pursuing a career in the law and works as a Legal Assistant in the Probate team at Talbots Law, who have sponsored and helped to fund Lily to compete in her competitions.

Speaking about her achievements and her aspirations to inspire others, Lily said:

“When I started a demanding career in law, I knew that I had to find a hobby to help me balance personal and professional and to give myself something to dedicate myself to outside of work.

I had competed as a gymnast for 10 years so commitment to an intense training schedule felt natural and I found a love for powerlifting, due to both the physical and mental growth I quickly saw in myself as a result of it.

It’s a privilege to have been called up to the England team and still feels incredibly surreal, so I’ll be doing all I can to make the most of the experience and hopefully inspire other young women to try the sport.”

The Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships will be taking place in Sun City from the 4th-11th October and Lily will continue training at local gym, Black Country Barbell, in preparation for the event.

Lily is also building a social media following through her journey and encourages any young women interested in the sport to follow her Instagram page, via the handle: @lilyliftin