Kirkbride sets British U23 records in Minsk,

In his first European Championships, Peter Kirkbride (Kilmarnock, Scotland) weighed in at 91.18kg in the 94kg category, he only had seven lifts to wait before he took the stage, opening with 140kg, he held the lift, to get his opener. He then moved up to 145kg which again he held, to equal his personal best.    Adding another 5kg to the bar he lifted confidently to record a snatch of 150kg, a new British U23 and Scottish Senior record and place 3rd in the B group.

After a good warm up for the Clean & Jerk, he then had a long wait (15 lifts), as a number of the athletes in front of him missed their lifts and did not put the bar up.  Kirkbride’s opening lift of 185kg (1kg below his PB) was solid and he then put the bar up to 190kg, going for PB in the C&J.  Both attempts at 190kg were close, he stood up easily out of both cleans, but just could not hold the jerk.

These lifts were good enough to give him a British U23 and Scottish  total records and to put him into 2nd place in the B group and guarantee a top eleven position overall  in the 94kg category, with the A group to follow tomorrow.

 

 

 

It was a disappointing day for Natasha Perdue (69kg) , she missed her opening snatch of 87kg, then got it with her second attempt,  with one lift in the bag she then went after a PB putting the bar up to 92kg,  which she just never really got under.   In the C&J she opened on 97kg, and cleaned it easily, however her jerk was forward and she could not hold it, this happened again in her second attempt.  Now under pressure to get a total, she did not make as good a clean, but a strong punch through the jerk saw her hold the lift and get a total on the board.  A 194kg total and a top ten finish in her first European Championships, but with the lifts she has done in training, the potential to deliver so much more.

Overall a solid performance by the Great Britain team as they head towards London 2012, with 3 athletes getting experience of their first European Championships at senior level, the women all finishing in the top 10 and the men hitting PBs.