It’s a feat made more incredible by the fact that Campbell only switched to weightlifting by chance. Initially a shot-putter, the Nottingham native only discovered Olympic lifting through CrossFit while at university. But then, nothing about her journey has been typical.
While Campbell shot to prominence with one of Team GB's moments of the Games in Tokyo and our first medal in the sport since 84, it is her effect beyond the arenas and podiums that’s captured the public imagination.
Rebranding weightlifting as a thing of joy and celebration, rather than its traditional dour image, Campbell has used her position in weightlifting to drive reappraisal among the public – not just of the sport itself, but of ideas around body positivity among women and girls.
In doing so, she’s rebranding strength and competitiveness as things very much within the scope of female ambition and accomplishment.
She shared her insights on character, competition mindsets, and the often-invisible barriers facing young people from underprivileged and marginal backgrounds when they break into elite sport.