Battle of the Barbell: BWL launches new concept competition

The fresh tournament in question, “Battle of the Barbell” (quite a catchy and to-the-point name), took place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The National Exhibition Centre was also the previous venue for weightlifting during the recent Commonwealth Games event. So a place well-picked indeed!

One of the attendees of the event was Emily Campbell (England), who won the women’s above 87kg (191.8 lbs) championship at Birmingham back in 2022.

Each contestant received a three-minute window in which they were instructed to finish as many clean-and-jerk routines as possible. The participants weren’t hasty to do quick reps, as each improperly executed effort would mean a point deduction.

What was scored is the following: rep count, total weight hoisted, as well as the Sinclair coefficient — a standard to equate varying weight categories (a balancing measure required in these types of events where there are mixed weight categories pitted against each other).

In the men’s Battle of the Barbell, the victor was Karl McClean (North Ireland). In women’s, it was Pauline Maurin (France) who took the crown.

Both lifters were awarded an Eleiko sit-up bench, official BWL gear, and a year’s membership with the institution.

On the medal stands, for men, it was Oliver Stidwell and Tony Robinson (both UK) who stood next to the victor. While it was Emily Grimmer and Jeanette Badham (also, both UK), who were standing next to the French champ.

The BWL’s top executive, Matthew Curtain, praised the competition’s initiation, followed by these words “This marked an exceptional weekend for British Weight Lifting”, and then he added — “In our five-year plan’s context, our objective is to enlighten, motivate, and carve broader avenues to captivate a varied and inclusive demographic.”

“This innovative tournament aligns with our goals, and we’re ecstatic about introducing the Battle of the Barbell. We’re eager to curate more engagement platforms surrounding it.”

He finished his statement with the following words — “Hearty, congratulations to all the participants; we anticipate welcoming you back.”

This November, the International Olympic Committee will be deliberating on the Olympic status of weightlifting for LA 2028. This was prompted by calls for a strategic “pivot” in the discipline due to consistent management missteps.