FOR Jo Dobson, from Horsforth, getting her GCSE results was a load off her mind after overcoming injury and a heavy training schedule to become national weightlifting champion midway through her exams.

Jo, a pupil at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), is celebrating after gaining 10 GCSEs - an A*, six As and three Bs today.

Her achievement is all the more remarkable as her preparation was disrupted by shoulder surgery at the end of 2015 and a training commitment of five days a week with the Leeds City Weightlifting Team.

A former sprinter, Jo began lifting weights to regain strength following a hamstring injury three years ago and has never looked back.

She said: “I love the thrill of weightlifting. It is so satisfying to be able to lift heavy objects over 1.5 times your bodyweight.”

The highlight of her weightlifting career to date came at the British Youth Championships in Castleford in May this year. In a close two stage competition, comprising the ‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ lifts, Jo was tied for first place after the snatch lifts. However, in a tense finish Jo triumphed in the clean and jerk and lifted 1kg more than her rival despite a lighter bodyweight.

Becoming the U17 British champion brought Jo an invitation to join the British Youth Olympic Weightlifting Squad, with regular training weekends at the High Performance Centre in Loughborough.

Jo said: “I was absolutely over the moon as the youth squad brings me access to a wide range of support mechanisms to get me through the international stages of my career. The competition fell straight in the middle of my GCSEs and having to juggle training and revising was very difficult. Furthermore, being selected for this only eight months after shoulder surgery really put into perspective how far I have come and what I have achieved both mentally and physically over the past eight months”.

After A-levels in two years’ time Jo hopes to study at Loughborough University, to continue her training and keep European, World and Commonwealth selection in her sights.