Power-packed Olivia Broome going for gold at Commonwealth Games
England para powerlifter looks to improve on previous Games medals
Chorley para powerlifter Olivia Broome dreams of taking a step up to the very top of the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this week.
The 25-year-old won silver in the lightweight category on her Commonwealth debut in Birmingham four years ago and is again a medal hope for Team England.
Olivia is no stranger to winning medals on the biggest stages, having claimed Paralympic bronze for Team GB at both Tokyo and Paris, and will be going for gold in Scotland on Friday.
She has already won gold at the junior (2021) and senior (2023) world championships and was European junior champion in 2018.
Olivia was also crowned British champion last year, a remarkable medal haul for an athlete who only took up the sport in 2017, when her sister encouraged her to join a Sport England talent identification programme.
In an English one-two at the last Commonwealth Games, just 2.2kg separated Olivia from teammate and gold medallist Zoe Newson.
Newson is not competing this week, when Olivia teams up with Charlotte McGuinness from Harrogate.
Besides her powerlifting feats, Olivia has made a name for herself as a content creator on social media.
“The cameras come with me wherever I go,” she said. “I got into the content side when I was at uni. I wanted to show what life was like as a full-time student and a full-time athlete.
“It originally started as a photography thing. Getting to go to some amazing countries, I wanted to show what it looked like behind the scenes. It has grown from there."
As for her medal prospects, Olivia added: “I am a lot more prepared than I was going into Birmingham. Now I definitely want to go for that gold.
“I am a very different athlete to back then. I am a lot more driven than I used to be.
“If it is the case that I step on that podium and hear that anthem, I think it will probably be one of the greatest days.”
The para powerlifting is a bench press event, in which athletes most lower a bar to their chest, then press it upwards until the arms are fully extended.
Team England are Ready to Win at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Keep up to date on https://teamengland.org/