Jo Calvino predicts scrap for Rio 2016 Olympic weightlifting berth
Monday 11 April 2016 15:52, UK
Zoe Smith faces fierce competition from youngsters Rebekah Tiler and Mercy Brown for a spot at the Rio Olympics, according to 20-time British champion Jo Calvino.
The British team are currently competing at the European Weightlifting Championships in Norway as they try and achieve the qualifying standard for this summer's Games.
The Europeans represent Britain's last chance to book their place in Rio, but only one spot will be available for the female weightlifters if they are successful in accumulating the minimum 64 points needed.
Smith broke the 58kg British clean and jerk record at London 2012 but will have teenage duo Tiler and Brown - both European junior champions - pushing her all the way for a Rio berth, according to Calvino.
"I think the frontrunners for that spot are Zoe Smith, who of course went to London, and our new up-and-coming junior star Rebekah Tiler," Calvino told Sky Sports.
"I also think Mercy Brown is a dark horse to qualify and if she can get everything right she's a definite contender.
"Rebekah sits in a heavier category than Zoe but is really taking the world by storm in the youth and the junior programme. She's a world youth champion, a Commonwealth champion and she finished fourth in her category at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
"She's still only young at just 17 but she is now starting build experience on a senior platform which is always important.
"Mercy is also doing really well after returning to London for university.
She surprised a few people by winning the European juniors last year and the next few years are bound to be exciting for her because she is now starting to mature in the senior ranks.
"It's going to be a really good battle between all of them. They are really strong and offer great promise for British weightlifting and women in the sport and that is really exciting."
Calvino was speaking at an event inside London's Tower Bridge celebrating 40 years of SportsAid, a charity which helps provide recognition and support to the next generation of elite British athletes.
Almost two-thirds of Team GB's competitors at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics were SportsAid award recipients, with those athletes winning 47 gold medals between them.
"SportsAid are such an important organisation," Calvino said.
"When I first started weightlifting they were the first organisation to provide me with financial support after I was recommended by my sport's governing body.
"It felt like they were among the first to acknowledge my achievements as a young weightlifter coming into a sport, which was not an Olympic sport at the time.
"It wasn't a huge amount of money I was given but it helped alleviate some of the financial costs for my parents. I'm really proud I can call myself part of the SportsAid family."
