Olympic weightlifting: Emily Campbell wins women’s +81kg bronze for Great Britain

Campbell is one of Team GB’s stars, an endearing character who has spoken at length about body image and the impact it can have on young girls.

Her motto – “if you look good, you perform well” – was put into practice as she competed with red, white and blue woven into her signature bun, with the Olympic rings threaded through her hair at the back.

She lifted her opening weight of 117kg in the snatch with ease, moved up to 119kg, then settled for 126kg on her third and final attempt.

Helped by the massive support of the British crowd, Campbell roared with joy after lifting the weight, which put her in third position ahead of the clean and jerk.

She easily lifted her first attempt at 162 kg, but failed at 169 kg, then 174 kg, which would have dropped her to second place.

The snatch and clean and jerk were Campbell’s personal bests.

“The level was so high I had to take it out of the bag,” Campbell said.

“In Tokyo I was new to the sport and enjoying things, it was a bonus medal.

“This one comes from the heart.”

Campbell, originally from Nottingham, only took up the sport when she started university, having initially taken it up to improve her performance in the shot put and hammer throw.

In just six weeks, she reached national championship level and made her senior debut at the 2018 World Championships.

She has won four consecutive European titles in the discipline and now has two Olympic medals in addition to her Commonwealth gold.