How Emily Campbell is embracing superstar status after back-to-back Commonwealth Games gold medals

From the cauldron of the Commonwealth Games to the white heat of the kitchen, Emily Campbell is all about being centre stage.

Britain's greatest weightlifter carries the heavy burden of being a sporting trailblazer like a champion, so don't bet against her when she makes her MasterChef debut later this summer.

The truth about this simple but gripping sport is that the bigger they are, the more emotional they often seem to become, and Campbell duly blinked back the tears after brilliantly defending her Commonwealth Games +86kg weightlifting title.

Emily Campbell broke the Commowealth Games record on her way to gold in Glasgow (Reuters)

With gold secured, she set about breaking her own Commonwealth record, hoisting the equivalent of two adult humans above her head with a new clean and jerk best of 163kg. Her winning total, added to her 115kg snatch, was also a new Games record of 278kg.

But you sense Campbell has a higher purpose than just the 'bling', as she refers to her medal quests. With her hair, lashes and nails on point, the others never stood a chance, her victory followed by a Highland jig.

"I want to show people that you can love what you do and still be absolutely fabulous while you're doing it," said Campbell, who had spent hours braiding her hair in red and white, with accompanying Team England logos.

"As an athlete, you always want to give your best performance, but the reason I've stayed in the sport so long is because I still genuinely enjoy lifting.

"Representing England means everything to me. The Commonwealth Games are incredibly special. In 2018, I really started believing in myself and realised I could do this.

Emily Campbell added another medal to her collection (Reuters)

"Without those Games, I don't think I'd have achieved what I have now. Whenever I represent my flag, I do it with pride.

"People message me all the time saying they're inspired by what I do. If I've encouraged someone to follow something they're passionate about, then I've achieved far more than just winning medals.

"You couldn't really ask for the crowd to be any louder — I could barely hear myself think. I just knew I had to go out there and do my job."

It's just five years since her breakthrough Olympic silver in Tokyo, Britain's first medal in the sport. That campaign was funded by friends and family in Nottingham, who donated bags of fruit and veg to the Campbell cause.

In a Team England squad that perhaps lacks a little sparkle , Campbell is now the undisputed superstar.

However, whether she'll exit stage left or continue to a third Olympics is a decision that now comes into sharp focus. Though she only took up the sport 10 years ago, at 32 she admits she feels the aches and pains that come with the hours spent in the gym pushing her body to new heights.

That means Los Angeles — and a bid to complete her Olympic medal set after silver in Tokyo and bronze in Paris — could prove a stretch target.

"Elite sport is tough at any age, but doing it in your thirties is a different challenge," she added.

"Recovery takes longer, and I've had to adapt to my body changing. Thankfully, I have an outstanding support team — nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, physios — who make sure I'm in the best possible position to perform.

"Where do I feel it after competition? Everywhere. Knees, shoulders, back — you name it. We're lifting serious weight, so you have to be smart with your preparation, recovery and conditioning. It's not an easy sport, but I still absolutely love it.

"Our qualification system is based on performances over time rather than one event, so we have to make sensible decisions about how we manage my body. If I go to LA, I want to go there genuinely capable of competing for a medal.

"We'd love to get to Los Angeles, but we have to look at the practicalities. If everything lines up, you'll see me starting qualification later this year. For now, though, we're going to enjoy this moment."

Los Angeles can wait. For now, Campbell has time to consider what's on the menu.

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