A teenage weightlifter from Caerphilly is surpassing most of his age in the gym, is determined to keep raising the bar even higher.
Mikey Farmer, 18, stormed to gold in his maiden appearance at the British Junior and U23 Championships in September, having sat out with an injury only weeks before.
But an intensive summer of training paid off and Farmer marked his debut on the national junior stage by finishing on top of the podium.
“It was great to go to my first British Juniors, do the job at hand and come out on top. I had been training for it all summer and I was up against people who were 19 and 20,” he said.
“To win at my first time of asking was incredible. I just lifted what I needed to lift and didn’t do anything stupid.
“It was my first competition in a while because I was out injured – I pulled my hamstring – so winning it felt even better.”
It is the latest success in Farmer’s promising career, having only started the sport less than two years ago.
His result at the British Juniors – which saw him snatch 100kg and lift 127kg in the clean and jerk to finish on top of the podium – means he has qualified for the Celtic Nations Weightlifting Championships in Edinburgh in November.
And his recent triumph has whetted the former St Martin’s School pupil’s appetite for more glory in the Scottish capital.
“Compared to the British Juniors, the standard will be a lot higher as there’ll be other internationals. But getting that gold has definitely made me hungry for more.
“My long-term goal would definitely be making it to the Junior World Championships and the World University Juniors,” added Mikey, who is a SSE Next Generation athlete.
“I’ve got three years left as a junior, so I’ve got plenty of time to try and qualify for them.
“Going to something like the BUCS World University Games, for example, would be a great one to target. I’d love to go to something like that.”
• Since 2013, SSE is proud to make a difference to young people, their families and their communities, by investing in the future of sporting talent through the SSE Next Generation scheme. Keep up to date @YourSSE.
• By Pippa Field, of Sportsbeat.