Camille Holland has the power for British championship success
Cambridge weightlifter now eyes European record
Camille Holland has been crowned British Women’s Classic Champion for a third year in a row – and has now set her sights on breaking the European record.
The Cambridge-based powerlifter earned her third title in Dover, in the open category, and the weights she lifted means that a place in the European history books is her next target.
Holland won the British championships with a 227.5kg squat lift, which was a personal best, British record and unofficial European record; a 113kg bench lift, also a PB and British record; and a personal best 192.5kg deadlift, which gave her an overall total of 533kg, a PB and British record.
“I went into it not feeling too great about it, although my training had been fantastic. But I then took the title for a third year in a row, which I was really happy about,” said Holland, who trains at House of Fitness.
“It came down to the final deadlifts where the girl who was in second place tried to pull a 230kg deadlift for the win, but fortunately for me she didn’t get it which made me British champion.
“It was really tight but I’ve had some great programming from my coach.”
Records cannot be set above the current level of competition, so although Holland broke the British squat record, it did not stand as a European mark. And that means she will make an attempt at the European record at the Arnold Classic in Barcelona next month.
“I had attempted it back in June, but someone attempted it before me and they took the record with 222.5kg,” said Holland. “With the rules in powerlifting, I wasn’t then able to increase on that at that competition.
“So we thought we would give it a stab at the British competition knowing I couldn’t take it, but if I could attempt the weight then we would know that I would be able to do it in September.
“Luckily, on the day, everything went according to plan and I was able to pull it out of the bag.
“It was a British record and an unofficial European squat record.”
