Teenage weightlifter Smith named in Commonwealth Games team

TEENAGER Zoe Smith will lead a 12-strong England weightlifting team at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year.

CONFIDENT: Zoe Smith will be looking to make her mark on the senior stage at this year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi (Getty Images)

Smith, 16, becomes the youngest athlete to be selected for the England team - she is a month younger than swimmer Achieng Ajula-Bushell - and will also be joined by Gurbinder Cheema and Jo Calvino, who both finished fourth at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, and by Beijing 2008 Paralympian Ali Jawad.

Smith, who has just completed her GCSE exams, is no stranger to international competition - winning Commonwealth Youth Games gold in Pune two years ago and claiming silver at last month's European Youth Championships.

In the four years since taking up weightlifting, the former gymnast has broken more than 300 records and currently holds the senior English records at both 58kg and 63kg for the snatch, clean & jerk and combined total, as well as the 53kg snatch record. 

"I'm pretty excited about it," said Smith. "At the moment it's as big as the Olympic Games to me. I think it will really help me on the way to London 2012.

"The atmosphere there will be phenomenal. I really enjoyed being in Pune and I'm looking forward to going back to India.

"Like everyone else, I'm obviously going for gold in Delhi.  I think that's a realistic prospect. I'm going to give it my all and see what happens on the day."

Smith is currently 13th in the Commonwealth rankings for the under-58kg class, one place below team-mate Helen Jewell, who contests the same division for England in Delhi. 

But Smith is expected to climb much higher up the rankings once they are updated to take account of her performances at the European Youths. 

"Zoe has demonstrated her potential to podium at major championships and it's very exciting to have her in the team," said  Maggie Lynes, England’s weightlifting team manager.

"I think the whole team has the potential to do well in Delhi. They are all capable of performing on the day and now selection is out of the way, they can focus on their training for the Commonwealth Games."

Men - 62kg: Christopher Freebury, 77kg: Jack Oliver, 105kg: Gurbinder Cheema, +105kg: Joe Muskett, Paralifting: Ali Jawad, Chris Rattenberry 

Women - 53kg: Jo Calvino, 58kg: Zoe Smith, 58kg: Helen Jewell, 63kg: Emily Godley, 69kg: Kerri Wotenick  Paralifting: Zoe Newson