A BRITISH Olympic weightlifter will press Furness athletes to push themselves to new heights when he heads to the area in December, writes JAMES MADDEN.

Sonny Webster, who finished 14th in the 94kg category at the Rio Games, will show off his skills, coach members and lead a seminar at Cumbria Strength and Conditioning, Dalton, on Sunday December 11.

The 22-year-old Bristol-based athlete was Great Britain's only male weightlifter at the Games, and gym head coach Matty Green believes someone of Webster's calibre will inspire people to take an interest in not just weightlifting, but health and fitness in general.

“To have someone like Sonny demonstrating his skills is massively important,” Green said. “Hopefully people will take a look and think, 'I want to reach that level'.

“He is a hugely prominent figure in weightlifting and I'm sure he will make a huge impact when he visits CSC.”

The opportunity to have Webster visit the area came about when Green saw the Team GB athlete express his interest in teaching tutorials on social media.

"I saw that Sonny had mentioned on Twitter that, providing there was sufficient demand, he was willing to provide seminars,” Green said.

“I didn't know what to expect when I got in contact, but I'm delighted. Everyone at the gym was really enthusiastic.”

CSC opened 12 months ago, and now boasts the likes of professional boxer Liam Conroy and county 100m champion Adam Bailey among its clients. As well as catering for elite athletes, there are also classes for mothers with toddlers, and beginners.

This Saturday sees a free Olympic weightlifting session take place at the Long Lane-based gym for anyone wanting to give it a try (11.12:30pm). Anyone interested can get in touch at www.cumbriasc.co.uk or email matty@cumbriasc.co.uk

“Everything is going really well,” added Green. “We are trying to provide a service for a variety of different people so we can attract as many people as possible.

"We have recently started buggy conditioning classes, which mean mums can bring their babies or toddlers along without having to worry about childcare.

"I'm currently working on starting a class for people who are either in, or training to be, in the national services.”