Canary Wharf weightlifter Mercy Brown was determined to have no regrets as she claimed a bronze medal for Great Britain at the BUCS World University Games in Chinese Taipei.
The 21-year-old, who was competing in the women’s 90kg+ category, struggled with her snatch and could not surpass her initial effort of 98kg over three attempts.
But the former University of East London student maintained her composure to perform phenomenally in the clean and jerk, exceeding her own expectations to finish on the podium.
After lifting 125kg in the first round, the former Bishop Challoner school pupil continually upped her game and went on to lift an unprecedented 134kg and 136kg to finish third, recording a combined result of 234kg.
Held biennially in major cities across the globe, the World University Games sees athletes come together to compete across numerous sports, with the Summer Universiade the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympics.
This year’s event is being staged in Chinese Taipei from August 19-30 with almost 10,000 participants, from over 170 countries competing.
Speaking after her stunning performance, Brown admitted that competing on the world stage was tough, but she couldn’t hide her delight at celebrating her first World University Games with a medal.
“I managed to clean and jerk quite well, so I went out on the opener and played the game well quite tactically,” said Brown, who studied sports and exercise science student at university.
“I went out, got the first lift and then I thought, ‘It’s time to get the medal.’
“The 134kg was a PB and I was standing there thinking, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get this over my head,’ but I got it.
“Then the 136kg was a really big PB. I put it on the bar and it was a ‘do or die’ lift. I was thinking, ‘If I don’t do this, I’m not going to get a medal.
“I thought to myself, ‘Just punch it, punch it,’ and as I threw it over my head and the bar moved a bit, I had to stabilise it.”
*British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, organising leagues and competitions for more than 150 institutions across 52 different sports.
Over 110 athletes will represent the GB team at the 29th FISU Summer World University Games 2017 from August 19-30.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here