The XX Commonwealth Games will be staging both Men and Women’s Powerlifting on Saturday 2nd August at the Clyde Auditorium. Both women’s groups (Lightweight, up to 61kg/Heavyweight from 61.1kg) start at 10am. The men’s Lightweight (up to 72kg) starts at 2pm with the Heavyweight (from 72.1kg) rounding off the evening at 6pm. 

Ahead of this we thought we would have a quick look at the home nation athletes involved.

You can find our guide to understanding Powerlifting here.

The best of luck to all the athletes involved. Go follow them on twitter and show your support.

@MickyYule9, @AliJawad12, @ratters2178

Michael Yule (SCO)

You can follow Micky on Twitter @MickyYule9

yule2_1884912a

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency


Origin of Impairment
Accident 

Impairment Details
In 2010 he was serving as a Royal Engineer Search Advisor in Afghanistan when he stepped on an improvised explosive device [IED]. He lost both legs, and sustained a shattered pelvis and a fractured arm. On his return to England, he required 21 operations at the Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. 

Start of sporting career
He began to consider powerlifting at international level in 2010 while in rehabilitation after his injuries. 

Ambitions
To compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Training
He trains in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in Leeds, England. 

General
MOTIVATION FOR RIO
He has a Brazilian flag above his bench that he looks at every time he trains. “It reminds me where I want to go.” 

PROPOSAL
He spent a week in a medically-induced coma after his injuries, and woke up in hospital believing he had asked his girlfriend Jody to marry him. He began to talk about how they could start a family before she reminded him that he had to ask her to be his wife first. He made a bedside proposal and she accepted. “It wasn’t the most romantic, but after all we’d been through it made us a bit happier about the situation,” he said. 

ROYAL HUMOUR
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited him in hospital during his rehabilitation, and his mother Jennifer said he took the opportunity for a moment of humour with the prince. “Micky told him, ‘I was lead search adviser looking for IEDs. As you can see sir, I found one’.”


jawad_image

Ali Jawad (ENG)

You can follow Ali on Twitter @AliJawad12

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency 

Impairment Details
He was born without legs.

Start of sporting career
He began powerlifting at age 16 in London, England. 

Reason for taking up this sport
Friends encouraged him to go to a local gym and a coach there believed he had the potential to compete at an elite level. 

Ambitions
To continue winning gold medals. 

Training
He trains in Leeds, England.

Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning a gold medal at the 2014 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

Hero
Egyptian powerlifter Sherif Othman. 

Sporting philosophy / motto
“Why be the best when you can be the greatest?”

General
LONDON HEARTBREAK
He just missed winning a medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London after his final lift was deemed a foul. He protested and the jury ordered a re-lift, but he was unable to complete it and dropped from second to fourth place on weight differential. “I couldn’t believe it. It was probably the most heart-breaking moment of my life. I was in tears, I felt robbed. I don’t think I’ll truly ever get over what happened.” 

ILLNESS
He qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing but became very ill the night before his competition. He was later diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel problem that forced him to retire from the sport in 2009. He believes the experience made him mentally stronger and in 2010, two weeks after an operation to remove part of his intestine, he decided to resume training. After representing Great Britain at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he had a relapse and spent three months away from the sport. He returned to full-time training in January 2013. 

FROM LEBANON TO ENGLAND
He was born in Lebanon during a period of conflict with Israel. When he was age six months his parents relocated the family to London, England. “It was hard enough to bring up kids that didn’t have a disability, let alone someone who did. So my parents took the decision that, in order for me to have a normal life, we needed to move away. England was our best option as they provided prosthetic limbs which enabled me to walk.” 


Chris Rattenbury (ENG)

Come on Chris. Send us in a picture!

You can follow Chris on Twitter @ratters2178

rattenbury

Start of sporting career
He began the sport at age 18.

Reason for taking up this sport
He believed that he would not achieve any great success in his original 100m wheelchair sprinting event, so he switched to powerlifting. “Anyone can push a wheelchair for 100m. But I think there’s also an element of being in control with power lifting which adds to the excitement. Just think you’ve got 160 kilos in your arms and if you weren’t focused and in control you could drop it and it could land on your chest. It’s a great spectator sport – a showman’s sport.” 

Most memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. 

General
AMBASSADOR
He is an ambassador for WheelPower, a national wheelchair sports organisation based in Stoke Mandeville, England. 

LONDON VOLUNTEER
He worked as a volunteer at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. 


 

Natalie Blake (ENG)

Natalie_blake

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries 

Impairment Details
She was born with spina bifida. 


Start of sporting career
She took up the sport at age 15 in Stoke Mandeville, England. 

Reason for taking up this sport
She used to compete in wheelchair racing before deciding she wanted to try something different.

Ambitions
To win a medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Training
She trains six times per week. 

Most memorable sporting achievement
Being selected as the only female para-powerlifter to compete for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Hero
Welsh football player Ryan Giggs. 

Most influential person in career
New Zealand powerlifter George Taamaru.