A Plymouth councillor who travelled to Canada with modest expectations has come home a Commonwealth medallist.
Green Party councillor Saahi Aroori, who represents Drake ward on Plymouth City Council, competed for England at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg.
Before leaving, Cllr Aroori joked that her only aim was not to finish last. Her outlook changed on the journey, when she was told her previous performances had her tipped to challenge for a medal.
She had qualified for the England team at the English Bench Press Championships, and in Winnipeg she lived up to those predictions, taking second place with a final bench press of 90kg.
Gold went to a Welsh competitor, who is also a friend, and who also bench pressed 90kg. However, with both lifting the same weight, the Welsh competitor took first place on account of her slightly lower bodyweight.
Cllr Aroori believes she had more to give and could potentially have pushed harder.
She has trained in the sport for around four years and competed for just over two, which makes her rapid rise to an international podium all the more notable.
The result also came after a period in which her training had taken a significant hit following her recent election to Plymouth City Council. With the additional demands on her time since becoming a councillor, she said that made her all the more delighted to have returned with a silver medal.
Speaking before the trip, she described representing England as a huge honour and said she hoped to make Plymouth, her family and friends proud.
Now home, Cllr Aroori said she was thrilled with the result, though it had not quite sunk in. She thanked people across Plymouth for their messages of support before and during the championships.
Pictures by Wayne Perry/Plymouth Post & Submitted