“I can’t quite begin to describe how ecstatic I am,” Baxter said. “This was my tenth international competition, but my first ever Commonwealth and win for the Open English Women’s Team, so it all feels incredibly special.
“There was a huge amount of hard work involved in my preparation for this event with balancing work, training, and studies for my diploma. It was very rewarding to see it all come together.”
Baxter’s wins contributed to the Women’s Open English Team placing second in the event, which she said made the achievement “even more special”.
“By nature, powerlifting is an individual sport, but with such amazing support around me, it definitely feels like a team effort.”
Laura Hockaday, sport development assistant manager at the University of Sunderland, said: “We’re so proud of Caitlin’s achievements, to become Commonwealth champion is an amazing accolade and Caitlin has worked incredibly hard chasing her dreams, so the gold medal is very well deserved.”
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