View source for British Girl 9 Becomes Triple Title National Power Lifting Champion

A young girl has become a three-time national weightlifting champion after lifting almost her own body weight above her head.<br>Extraordinary little Ivey Miller, 9, who is just 4ft 6ins tall and weighs 4.7st, wowed judges as she hoisted the equivalent of a two seat sofa or a single bed over her head.<br>Ivey took to weightlifting after watching her mother, Cheryl-Leigh Miller, and  [https://incitasecurity.com/60-minute-crossfit-workout/ incitasecurity.com] stepfather do CrossFit training on their front drive and wanting to join in.<br>The schoolgirl from Basingstoke, Hants, has gone on to compete in one English and two British Weightlifting Championships - winning all three.<br>                Ivey Miller has become a three-time national weightlifting champion after winning competitions that saw her lift her bodyweight over her head<br>         In February last year she won the remotely-held English Championships in the under 10s category from her living room - just six months after taking up the sport<br>         Ivey with her coach coach Luke Patterson after winning the British Weightlifting Championships.<br><br>Ivey trains with Luke three times a week but had to send him videos for review from home during lockdown<br>And Ivey is showing no signs of slowing down, harbouring dreams of one day becoming an Olympics weightlifter like her hero Sarah Davies.<br>Explaining how her daughter's surprising obsession began, 34-year-old mum-of-two Cheryl-Leigh said: 'Ivey's stepfather, Henry, and I would do CrossFit training which incorporates some weightlifting on the driveway during lockdown.<br>   RELATED ARTICLES                <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br>18 shares<br><br><br>'Ivey would come out and join in by picking up a PVC pipe we used to warm up and copying what we were doing.<br>'She competed and won a CrossFit competition, but she specifically enjoyed the weightlifting side.<br>         Ivey, pictured weightlifting at home during the pandemic, is showing no signs of slowing down, harbouring dreams of one day becoming an Olympics weightlifter like her hero Sarah Davies<br>         Ivey while completing a whopping 26KG Clean and Jerk at the British Weightlifting Championships<br>'I did some research on children's weightlifting and how safe it was, and saw there was a lot of positivity around it.<br>'So we found her a coach, Luke, at the end of August 2020 and from there she took to the sport.<br>'At that point you could train outside, so she would train with Luke three times a week.'<br>After weather grew colder and lockdown restrictions tighter, Ivey trained in her home in Old Basing, Basingstoke, where she would send videos for her trainer to review.<br>         The young girl first showed interest during her parents' crossfit home-training and soon progressed from a PVC pipe to lifting real weights <br>         After seeing her passion, her parents found her a coach, Luke, at the end of August 2020 and from there she took to the sport.<br><br>Pictured in September 2020 aged 7 doing a lift on her front driveway during the pandemic<br>         Ivey's current PBs are 21kg for the snatch lift and 26kg for the clean and jerk which is just a few kilograms less than her weight of 29kg<br>          Despite having to train remotely for a majority of the pandemic, Ivey progressed to win the live British Championships in Harrogate in front of official British Weightlifting judges<br>In February last year she won the remotely-held English Championships in the under 10s category from her living room - just six months after taking up the sport.<br>Ivey then went on to win the virtual British Championships in July, when she competed remotely from Ministry Gym in Basingstoke, where she trains.<br>Then, last November, she won the live British Championships in Harrogate, North Yorks, in front of official British Weightlifting judges.<br>Under 12s development weightlifters get six attempts to achieve the highest weight during three 'snatch' lifts - where the barbell is lifted from the floor to above the head - and three 'clean and jerk' lifts, where the bar is lifted overhead.<br>         The priority Ivey to win lies in her technique - for which the points counts are doubled - instead of the weight, for which competitors receive one point per kilogram<br>         Ivey won the virtual British Championships in July, when she competed remotely from Ministry Gym in Basingstoke, where she trains<br>         Under 12s development weightlifters get six attempts to achieve the highest weight during three 'snatch' lifts - where the barbell is lifted from the floor to above the head - and three 'clean and jerk' lifts, where the bar is lifted overhead<br>But the priority in lies in the lifters' technique - for which the points counts are doubled - instead of the weight, for which competitors receive one point per kilogram.<br>If a lift is not completed no points are awarded.<br>Ivey's current PBs are 21kg for the snatch lift and 26kg for the clean and jerk which is just a few kilograms less than her weight of 29kg.<br>Ms Miller added: 'I'm incredibly proud of Ivey.<br><br>It's really enjoyable to watch her doing something she loves and the level of commitment she puts into it is what makes me most proud.<br>         Ivey's mother backed her daughter's passion after discovering the positivity behind child power lifting, and researching the safety of the sport<br>'She knows what she wants to achieve and is just inspirational.<br><br>She's only nine but she has such an amazing work ethic.<br>'She has such a lovely team who make it so much fun and that's what's most important: that she genuinely enjoys doing it.<br>'They have been so accommodating to her and without that environment she wouldn't be getting the same enjoyment out of it.'<br>On her love for weightlifting and ambitions for the future, Ivey, whose favourite school subject is maths, said: 'I enjoy weightlifting because it is fun and exciting.<br><br>When you get a PB (personal best) it's like one of the happiest moments of your life.<br>         In February last year she won the remotely-held English Championships in the under 10s category from her living room - just six months after taking up the sport<br>'I'm on the school football team, I'm at grade seven swimming, and I've just started gymnastics.<br>'But weightlifting is the best thing that has happened in my life.<br>'I want to become an Olympic Champion - that's one of my biggest dreams out of them all.<br>'Sarah Davies is a hero of mine.<br><br>She helped me get into weightlifting and, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be doing it today.'<br>         Ivey was inspired to train as a power lifter after watching Women's World Weightlifting Champion Sarah Davies.<br><br>Pictured training during the pandemic<br>         Keen on all sports, Ivey also competes on her school football team, grade seven swimming, and has just started gymnastics but weightlifting remains her true passion<br>Ms Miller added: 'The funny this was that when she first started, Ivey didn't realise weightlifting was an Olympics sport.<br>'When she discovered it was, a huge smile came over her face because she realised she could potentially be an Olympic champion one day.'<br>Women's World Weightlifting Champion Davies, 29, from Preston, Lancs, follows Ivey on Instagram and often sends messages of encouragement and support.<br>Ivey and her mother will travel to Birmingham this summer to watch Davies live in action, and hope to be able to meet her in person.<br>Ivey's next competition is the Hampshire County Championships in April.<br><br><br>adverts.addToArray({"pos":"inread_player"})Advertisement