Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

ACADEMY LIFTERS NOMINATED FOR TEAM WALES

BIN lorry driver Natasha Perdue is among the team of six athletes chosen to represent Wales at weightlifting and powerlifting at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The team will also feature PE teacher Michaela Breeze, who struck gold in the Melbourne Games four years ago, battled with injury in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – and is looking to retire on a high with success in Delhi.

The six were selected by Wales Weightlifting and the Federation of Disability Sport Wales and will be heading for the Indian capital for the October tournament as part of an expected near 150-strong Welsh squad of sportsmen and women.

Representing Wales at weightlifting will be Michaela Breeze (63kg), who attended the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff and now lives and works in Devon; Gareth Evans (62kg), from Anglesey, a member of Holyhead Weightlifting Club and a painter and decorator by trade; and Natasha Perdue (69kg), who was born and brought up in Swansea and now lives and works in Leeds.

Representing Wales in the powerlifting competitions will be Kyron Duke, who trains at Cwmbran Stadium and is the reigning IWAS Junior World Champion; Julie Salmon, from Ynysybwl, near Pontypridd, who competed in the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004; and Daniel Steward, a former British Champion and bronze medalist in the World Junior Games in 2008.

The weightlifters will be coached in Delhi by Ray Williams, from Holyhead in Anglesey, who has been the National Weightlifting Coach for Wales for the last seven years. A former Welsh Weightlifting Champion and Celtic Nations titleholder, Williams won gold in the featherweight class at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Ray will be joined by Senior Regional Development Officer for Sports Wales, Jonathan Roberts. Roberts, who also attended Melbourne, is from Ammanford in Carmarthenshire.

Gideon Griffiths, the current Welsh Strength Association Champion at 90kg for the over-40’s, will coach the powerlifters. Born in Carmarthen, he competed for Wales at the Melbourne Games four years ago.

Coach Ray Williams said: “Wales has historically produced some very successful weightlifters and powerlifters and this is a particularly strong team with a good mix of experience and young talent.

“Our sport has been Wales’ highest achiever of medals at Commonwealth Games and we have provided a medal at every games since 1954. This is a remarkable achievement and we aim to keep this a living legacy.

“Michaela Breeze is a brilliant weightlifter – already one of the Commonwealth’s greatest. She is aiming to bring her glittering career to an end in Delhi with another medal-winning performance. Natasha Perdue has progressed well since Melbourne and has the potential to upset the favourites in the 69Kg division.”

Gareth John, Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, said: “Both of these teams are working as an integrated squad where non-disabled athletes and those with a disability are able to represent their country at the highest level.

“Our record in both disciplines is superb and I feel sure the athletes representing us on this occasion will try their utmost to replicate this. We wish them all well in their efforts.”

The Commonwealth Games weightlifting competition includes eight weight categories for men and seven categories for women, while the powerlifting event is an open class event for men and women in the Bench Press. The competition will take place over 10 days in the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex in Delhi – part of the tournament’s main venue which will also host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the full athletics programme.

Up to 8,000 competitors from 71 countries – including up to 200 Welsh athletes – will compete in 17 sports in the 2010 Games from October 3-14.

The tournament is the only multi-sport international event in which Wales competes as a country in its own right, and Welsh athletes hold 15 current Commonwealth Games records in 110 hurdles, 400 metres, cycling, shooting and weightlifting categories. Wales won 19 medals at the Melbourne Games four years ago.

Athlete Biogs:
WEIGHTLIFTING SQUAD:

Michaela Breeze: Started weightlifting during school 18 years ago. She grew up in Cornwall, before attending UWIC in Cardiff, and now teaches PE at Ivybridge Community College in Devon. She counts her coach Andrew Davies as one of her biggest inspirations. Her career highlight to date was winning the Commonwealth Games Championships for Wales in 2006 and representing Great Britain in the last two Olympics. Michaela is planning to retire after competing in Delhi. Michaela is 31.

PB- Snatch = 101kg (Italy 2006)
Clean & jerk = 123kg (British Champs 2006)
Total = 221kg

Gareth Evans: Has been competing in weightlifting for 13 years since attending Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi in Holyhead, Anglesey. He now splits his time between training and working as a painter and decorator. His career highlight to date was qualifying for this year’s Commonwealth Games, which is his first. His coach is Ray Williams.
PB-111kg snatch
135kg clean and jerk
246kg total at European champs Minsk, Belarus in April 2010

Natasha Perdue: Born in Swansea and now lives in Leeds, she is 34 and a member of the World Class Weight Lifting Club in Yorkshire. Her father, Terry, was a weightlifter and her inspiration to take up the sport. He competed at two Olympics in 1968 and 1972 and three Commonwealth Games. Her brother, also called Terry, went to three Commonwealth Games. Natasha’s ambition is to win a medal at the Delhi Games and compete in the London 2012 Olympics.
PB-90kg Snatch
110kg Clean & Jerk
200Kg total

POWERLIFTING SQUAD:

Kyron Duke: Has been powerlifting for five years after getting involved with the sport at Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran. He trains at Cwmbran Stadium under the watchful eye of coach Gideon Griffiths. His career highlight was becoming World Champion in October 2009.
PB-80 Kg – UK Nationals at Stoke Mandeville in June 2010.

Julie Salmon: From Ynysybwl, she got involved in powerlifting through Paralympian Emma Brown 10 years ago. She counts coach Jon Amos among her greatest influences. Her career highlight so far was competing in the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004.
PB-80kg, IPC Europeans Greece 2007

Daniel Steward: Was first involved with swimming, but after attending the National Junior Games in 2000 and 2002 at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, he was encouraged to try other sports. He attempted the bench-press and decided to concentrate on that full time. He has now been competing for 4 and a half years. Daniel is coached by Gideon Griffiths in Bicester
and works for B.T. in his spare time. His career highlight to date was being part of the British Powerlifting team that attended the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games in Bangalore where he finished 7th in his weight-class. He was also British Champion in June 2008 and won a Bronze Medal in the World Junior Games in July 2008.
PB- Currently a lift of 105kg at the British Championships in June 2010

Ends

Notes for editors:

1 The Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport event where Wales competes in its own right.
2 Wales is one of only six nations to have competed in every Games since 1930, winning 215 medals – including 49 gold, 69 silver and 97 bronze.
3 Swimmer Valerie Davies, from Cardiff, who struck two silvers in the 1930 Games in Hamilton, Canada, won Wales’ first Commonwealth medals.
4 Weightlifter David Morgan is Wales’ most successful Games’ athlete, his haul of nine gold and six silver medals collected over six tournaments.
5 Cardiff hosted the Games in 1958, when it was called the Empire Games.
6 Wales recorded its highest position in the medals table (11th) at the Manchester Games of 2002, winning six gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze.
7 Welsh athletes hold 15 current Commonwealth Games records in 110 hurdles, 400 metres, cycling, shooting and weightlifting categories.
8 Up to 8,000 competitors from 71 countries – including up to 150 Welsh athletes – will compete in 17 sports in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi from October 3-14 next year.
9 Wales Commonwealth Games stars of yesteryear include Lynn Davies, Nicole Cooke, Colin Jackson, Iwan Thomas, David Davies, Berwyn Price, Jamie Baulch, David Roberts, Kelly Morgan and Tanni Grey Thompson.

Issued by: Effective Communication, 1 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9HQ
Contact: Peter Bibby on 029 2064 6862 or 07779 783396
Email: pbibby@effcom.co.uk
Date: 06.07.10

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