Zoe Newson (born 24 March 1992) is a British

powerlifter Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

. She is a two-time bronze medalist at the

Summer Paralympics The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...

and she won the silver medal in her event at the

2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships The 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships was a powerlifting competition for athletes with a disability. It was held in Tbilisi, Georgia (country), Georgia from 27 November to 5 December. It was previously scheduled to be held in Batumi, Geor ...

. In 2012 Newson posted a European record at the IPC Powerlifting British Championships and took bronze in the under 40 kg class for Great Britain at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

in London.

Career history

Newson was born in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

in 1992 and was educated at

East Bergholt High School East Bergholt High School is a secondary school in East Bergholt, Suffolk, north of Colchester, Essex, and nine miles (14 km) south of Ipswich, Suffolk. It has 931 students. The current headteacher is Mr Woodcock. In 2018, the school was a ...

. Newson, who was born with

growth hormone deficiency Growth hormone deficiency (GHD), or human growth hormone deficiency, is a medical condition resulting from not enough growth hormone (GH). Generally the most noticeable symptom is that an individual attains a short height. Newborns may also presen ...

, tried out powerlifting for the first time in 2006, joining the Suffolk Spartans club in Colchester in 2007. Newson entered a local competition in 2007, lifting near 40 kg, but by January 2008 she had improved this to 47.5 kg, taking second place at a Paralympic competition in Cardiff. In May Newson lifted a personal best of 60 kg and repeated this feat in June at the British Finals to make her British Champion in her class. 2009 saw Newson drop weight to take her into the under 40 kg class, and in Cardiff she lifted 70 kg to take first place. She bettered this again that summer with first place at both the World Dwarf Games and the British Finals, lifting 75 kg in both. In November she travelled to Bangalore to compete in the

IWAS World Games The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games (or IWAS World Games) are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability, which were the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. The competition has been formerly known as t ...

, taking silver in both the junior and senior events. In 2010, she took first place again in Cardiff, now lifting 80 kg. Her progress continued throughout the year, lifting 85 kg, now double her own weight, at the British Finals and breaking the junior European record. In July Newson was invited to attend the IPC Powerlifting World Championships in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, finishing first in the junior event and fourth in the seniors. She finished the year by qualifying for the England team for the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

, her lift of 85 kg placing her just outside the medals in fourth place. In 2011, she took first in Cardiff, the British Finals and the IWAS World Junior Games. She then took a break from competing to train in preparation for qualifying for the

. With a personal best of 88 kg at Cardiff, Newson only entered the events that would ensure her position in the Great Britain team was secure. In February she qualified for the team taking the only position in the women's under 40 kg category. On 30 August, despite having her second lift chalked off, she equalled her personal best lifting 88 kg to take the bronze medal. In 2021, she won the silver in her event at the

held in Tbilisi, Georgia. She competed at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

where she won a gold medal in the women's lightweight event.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newson, Zoe British female powerlifters Powerlifters at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Paralympic powerlifters for Great Britain Powerlifters at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Powerlifters at the 2016 Summer Paralympics 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Ipswich Paralympic bronze medalists for Great Britain Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics British female weightlifters Female powerlifters Commonwealth Games medallists in powerlifting Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Paralympic medalists in powerlifting Powerlifters at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Powerlifters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games