Preston-born weightlifter Sarah’s career will go full circle in Glasgow
Weightlifter Sarah Davies Smale will be returning to where it all began when she steps out onto the SEC Armadillo platform in 10 days’ time.
The 33-year-old, who was born in Preston, first competed in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014.
Glasgow 2026 will be her fourth – and possibly final – Games in Team England colours.
“Representing Team England at the Commonwealth Games has always been big for me,” said Davies Smale, who will compete in the women’s 63kg category in Glasgow.
“I remember watching Manchester in 2002 as a kid, watching the gymnastics and thinking, ‘One day I want to put on an England tracksuit’.
“Never in a million years at that point did I think it would be for weightlifting, but here we are heading into Games number four.
“It’s nice to have that full-circle moment. There's a chance that this will be my last Commonwealth Games, so it's nice to have that nostalgia of my first one and my last one being in the same city, in the same venue.”
A lot has happened in Davies Smale's career since her SEC Armadillo debut in 2014. She won silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, became the first British weightlifter to win a World silver medal in 2021, and won gold at the European Championships in 2025 and 2026.
Davies Smale is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, having taken home gold in the 71kg category at Birmingham 2022.
It is all vital experience that she hopes to draw upon when she takes to the Armadillo platform on July 28. I’m a little more prepared going into this one,” she said. “I was very nervous going into the last one (Glasgow 2014) because I hadn't been competing in weightlifting for very long. It was actually my second international competition.
“Many more internationals down the line, I’m definitely feeling more prepared and excited to get back out there on that stage. The opportunities that weightlifting has brought me are unbelievable. The career path I've gone on to this point is nothing I could have ever imagined, both in weightlifting and actual work.
“I couldn't have even dreamed it up and I’ve travelled places in the world I couldn't have imagined. I’m very fortunate.”
The Team England veteran found weightlifting by chance, when she made friends with some Olympic weightlifters while studying at the University of Leeds. But she is now one of the most experienced members of the 2026 cohort and on July 28, Davies’ sole focus will be defending her title.
“I'm the defending champion going into it but competing against my friend from Canada (Maude Charron) who's an Olympic champion, so it's going to be a tough competition,” she said.
“She was also in Glasgow the last time round, so it's quite nice for both of us to be back battling out on that stage again.”
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