Beauty queen setting sights on becoming weightlifting champ

PE teacher Sarah Davies, 21, who works at Temple Moor High School in Cross Gates, Leeds, says she is passionate about changing the image of women with her contrasting roles.

She said: “I hope that because I’m so far from the stereotypical beauty queen, young people will realise that the way to get the body you want isn’t through starving yourself.

“I also like that one breaks the stereotype of the other, as people think female weightlifters should be really butch-looking and beauty queens should be tall, blonde and rake thin.

“It shows you don’t have to be manly to enjoy the sport and you don’t have to be skinny to be a beauty queen.

“They’re both great fun and anyone can do it.”

Miss Davies, a former Miss Leeds, qualified for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the English Weightlifting Championships.

She is also set to take part in the Senior World Championships in November in Kazakhstan – while having her sights on the Miss Galaxy England crown on March 9.

Miss Davies, who comes from from Leeds, already holds the regional Miss Preston Galaxy title and winning the England crown would see her travel to the final in the United States in August.

Miss Davies trained as a gymnast from the age of five and got into weightlifting thanks to boyfriend Jack Oliver, who came 10th in the sport during the London Olympics.

Her first foray onto the catwalk came in March 2012 when she won Miss Leeds as a student in the city.

At the moment she spends 20 hours every week training for weightlifting while also preparing for the required charity events in the Miss Galaxy England event.