A teenage powerlifter managed to win double golds at a world championship despite her endometriosis flaring up to leave her in excruciating pain just before the competition.<\/p>\n
Lhamo Weston, from Redditch, also landed second on the podium with a silver and a bronze medal, across three events in the World Sub-Junior & Junior Powerlifting Championships, in South Africa last month.<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old only took up the sport three years ago, after being inspired by her brother to give it a go.<\/p>\n
Weston now uses social media to speak openly about having endometriosis and being a young woman in the sport of powerlifting, in the hope of empowering others.<\/p>\n
Lhamo told the BBC she loves competing in the sport because of its inclusivity.<\/p>\n
“I love how inclusive it is and how we’re like a community,” she said. <\/p>\n
“Everyone knows each other and are really supportive of each other, and I just think it’s an amazing sport that really brings people together.”<\/p>\n
She stood on the podium in the Under 57kg category at the championship after getting two golds in squat and deadlift, and a bronze in the bench event.<\/p>\n
“It felt incredible to be completely honest, I went into it with expectations of potentially reaching podium. I didn’t initially expect to place second or even have a chance at placing first,” she said.<\/p>\n
But a flare up of her endometriosis, a condition which sees tissue similar to the lining of the womb grow outside of it, meant she was competing in difficult conditions:<\/p>\n
“That led to excruciating amounts of pain and a lot of issues again with making weight, which really affected me leading into comp,” Lhamo continued.<\/p>\n
“It can affect my training with the pain, I get quite tired and I also get back pain which can feel the same as a back injury. It was difficult but we managed to do it.”<\/p>\n
Endometriosis affects one in 10 women in the UK, but she says many people don’t know about it. <\/p>\n
“There’s not enough awareness about it and how it actually impacts women and girls,” she continued. <\/p>\n
“I’ve been dealing with endometriosis since I was 12, and I only got diagnosed last year. It was a very long journey and I just think there needs to be more awareness so we can try and find solutions to help other people. <\/p>\n
“As for powerlifting, if you want to do it, go for it. At the end of the day, there’s nothing holding you back.”<\/p>\n Sam Pope from Elite Fitness in Redditch says Lhamo is an inspiration to all<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The teenager trains at Elite Fitness gym in Redditch and, despite recently moving to Worcester, still travels the 45 minutes to get there.<\/p>\n Sam Pope, who works there, says Lhamo is an inspiration.<\/p>\n “For other young people of her age, it just shows that actually if you put the effort in, the reward is there,” he said. <\/p>\n “We take pride knowing we house her here as a member because we are very much like a family. <\/p>\n “To have her as a role model is very important because it does allow others to think ‘I can do this as well’ and I think that’s very important not just at our gym but every gym as well.”<\/p>\n Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on <\/em>BBC Sounds<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>X<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/hermes.media.static.aol.com\/media\/2026\/09\/07\/66ddf6b1-a15c-3077-a20d-c8b2b3543cdf\/a72132c3-4c9d-4c63-b24d-53e851f64086.jpg\")
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