AN Eldwick teenage powerlifter is continuing to go from strength to strength in the sport after breaking European and world records.

Lucy Robinson, 16, continued her dominance at the European Classic Powerlifting Championships held in Kaunus in Lithuania. At last month's event she won the squat with a European record (145.5kg), the deadlift with a European and world record (170.5kg) and also broke the European and world records for the total points scored 381 – this represents kilos lifted.

She has been a classic powerlifter for two years and her potential was spotted by Chris Baldwin, a conditioning coach at Bradford Esprit Diving Club where she was a member until earlier this year.

She is classed as a sub junior which runs up to age 18 so she has a further two years in this category. She would then become a junior. She lifts in the under 63kg weight category.

This year she lifted in the British Championships and holds all the British records across two of the three disciplines, Squat, bench press (no record here) and dead lift. She also holds the record for the total number of points scored across the three disciplines.

But Lucy, who trains three times a week at Bingley Barbell Club, could not go to the World Championships in May/June this year due to her GCSE commitments.

The Skipton Girls' High School student had a meteoric rise in the sport, winning four European powerlifting medals in her first 11 months in the sport.

After becoming British sub-junior under-57kg champion, she won a silver and three bronze medals at the European Women's Classic Championships in Thisted, Denmark last year.

Her parents have spent £18,000 this year on funding her equipment, travelling and coaching costs. This is because powerlifting is not an Olympic or Commonwealth Games sport as yet, unlike weight lifting and so there is no central funding. As a result, her parents are looking to set up an online funding page and social media to help pay for these costs and further boost Lucy's name in the sport.

Despite her dominance in powerlifting, Lucy's ultimate goal is to represent Great Britain in the Winter Olympics in the skeleton, something she has wanted to do for the last 10 years. She also wants to work as an engineer.

Her father Tim said: "We are very proud of her, but it has not really sunk in what she has done.

"We have just got to take it further now. She will look to compete in the World Championships in Sweden in June next year. She has to compete in the British Championships first.

"Lucy is very good at the squat, the bench press is something she is getting coaching on and the dead lift is her best event.

"It's a balancing act between her competing, training and studies. She did her GCSEs last summer and it was the Worlds in Canada at the same time, but because it was not the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, she did not have the dispensation to go to the competition.

"She loves it and we do too. Lucy is very shy about it all and does not like publicity. She is very proud of what she has done.

"During a rest period like she is having at the moment between tournaments, it is important that she is still lifting weights. She is very focused on it.

"On the days she trains, she finishes school, goes straight to Bingley and trains for an hour-and-a-half.

"We travel all over Europe with Lucy's competitions. The nearest one we have had was a British event in Ashington in Northumberland.

"The village know about Lucy too and is right behind her."