Kirkbride and Cheema look for European success

PETER KIRKBRIDE and Gurbinder Cheema will carry British hopes at this week's European Championships in Bucharest.

STILL GOING STRONG: Veteran Gurbinder Cheema is one of two British lifters at this week's European Championships (Getty Images)

Scot Kirkbride will compete in the 94kg category in Romania while Birmingham's Cheema, a bronze medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, goes in this weekend's 105kg event.

Kirkbride - still only 21 - broke his own British record at the recent Scottish Championships, snatching 140kgs and clean-and-jerking up to 182kgs.  

But he has little expectation of success in Bucharest.

"My only expectations are to do myself justice and keep improving," he said.

"Competing at the big events is what gives me the buzz and keeps me motivated to keep training and working hard."

In contrast to the rising star Kirkbride, Gurbinder, now 30, is the long-established British number one in his weight category.

Coached by father Gian - himself a four times British champion and Commonwealth Games lifter - he missed out on the Athens Olympics through injury and failed to make last year's Beijing squad.

However, he's not given up hope of finally making his Olympic debut at the 2012 Games in London.