How did you get into kettlebells?
I’ve worked in the fitness industry for 23 years and have always been passionate about strength training, including kettlebells. However, it was only during lockdown that I discovered kettlebells as a sport.
A friend of mine was at an event and I spotted someone in an England jacket in one of her photos. She got his number and I called him up and asked: ‘What are you doing and how did you get there? I want to get there too.’
From then on, during lockdown, I learned about the fast-growing sport of kettlebells. I began to do weekly online training with Jonny Skinner at Garage Fitness Project, himself a kettlebell World Champion many times over. He coached me to my first competition qualifier in Northampton.
I smashed it and went on to compete for England in my first international in 2023. My event was half-snatches with a single 16kg bell for 30 minutes and I set a personal best of 484 reps. Even though I’d been doing competition kettlebells for less than a year, I came away as World Champion.
I realised I’d found my thing!
What have been the highlights since then?
In June 2024, I competed at the World Kettlebell Sport Federation (WKSF) World Championships in Poland and came away with a bronze medal.
My event on this occasion was the double 16kg bells, one in each hand, doing clean-and-press for 10 minutes. It was the first time I’d done this event and you’re allowed to put the bells down, but I wanted to keep them off the floor for the full 10 minutes. I achieved that and completed 80 reps – a massive personal best.
I was then WKSF bronze medallist and IKMF (International Kettlebell Marathon Federation) World Champion in kettlebell sport, with three gold medals.
I had so much more planned, including competing in the IKMF World Championships in Belgium in November 2024, but it’s been a rollercoaster since Poland.
I tore my rotator cuff and needed surgery. I still went to Belgium as England team captain – we did really well, coming third overall – but I couldn’t lift. Then while we were out there, just three days before my 40th birthday, Jonny and I were involved in a serious car accident. We were discharged from hospital, but we were lucky to walk away from it.
In December 2024, I had my surgery. My rotator cuff was fully reconstructed and my bicep re-attached – a major operation, but one I had to have to be able to lift again.
I’ve been rehabbing myself ever since, continuing to train my right-hand side and really just listening to my body; in this time, I also discovered I have stenosis of the lower spine!
I told myself I wouldn’t compete in 2025, but my rehab went incredibly well and I’m feeling good. So in August, I qualified via video to represent England in the IKMF World Championships in Hungary in November..
Tell us more…
My event in Hungary was another new one for me: a kettlebell half-snatch marathon where you lift continuously for an hour. It’s a single bell – I was lifting the 18kg – and you can switch between arms as much as you like, but you aren’t allowed to put the bell down.
I hadn’t been on a platform since Poland and with all the injuries I’ve had, I felt blessed just to be lifting again. However, it proved to be a very successful competition! I won the gold medal with a new World Record: 909 reps in 60 minutes. I was also awarded Master of Sport World Class – an elite international ranking in kettlebell sport.
In a year where simply getting up there and competing felt like a major achievement, I am once again World Champion! It feels amazing.
How is kettlebells growing as a sport?
It’s growing fast and on the home front, I’m sure Scotland hosting the 2026 IKMF World Kettlebell Championships will boost it even further.
I’m also heavily focused on creating new opportunities for people to get involved in kettlebells.
We host a grassroots kettlebells competition at FitWorks Training in Beaconsfield. It first took place in September 2024 and it went really well, so it’s now an annual event.
Meanwhile, through our Garage FitWorks Project, Jonny and I create kettlebell programmes and deliver online kettlebell training to prepare people for kettlebell competitions. Quite a few of our group lift for England, but our services are available to anyone, anywhere in the world.
In September 2025, as well as our grassroots competition, we also organised a charity event – Find Your Fit – to inspire 24 hours of movement. We hosted 24 hours of kettlebells at FitWorks Training, with some World Records being set in the process. We also worked with gyms elsewhere in the UK, linking up via Zoom so the same activities took place everywhere at the same time. Members of the public were able to dial in to take part and we raised over £26,500. We’ll do it again next year.
In May 2026, we’re partnering with a Rugby 7s tournament to run a new KBX competition we’ve created: a kettlebell relay tournament where everyone from beginners to elite athletes can take part.
I’d also love to take kettlebells into schools, but I just haven’t had time to get to that yet!
You’re also sponsored by Physical…
I’ve known Physical for a long time, including working as part of its demo team for events such as FIBO, so it’s great to have them sponsor me as a competitor.
They’re such a great partner and sponsor: brilliant to work with and so responsive to all my new ideas. It’s a really easy, enjoyable relationship and I feel there’s so much more we can do together.
For example, I’m really keen to work with Physical to continue to build awareness of kettlebells as a sport and I’m delighted to say they’ll be supporting both KBX and Find Your Fit events next year.
Physical is our go-to for equipment, too. We already use Physical competition kettlebells at Fitworks Training, at Garage FitWorks Project and for our grassroots kettlebells competition. We’ll now be using them for KBX, too.
It’s so important to have high-quality bells, even for beginner events, and Physical’s are great to use: they sit well, are easy on the hands and the handle size is perfect for both rack and overhead positions.
Tell us about FitWorks Training.
Located in Beaconsfield, FitWorks Training is a gym I opened with my business partner Pippa Lance in November 2023.
Kitted out by Physical, it’s a gym for everyone – from mums-to-be to families to strongman enthusiasts – with the slogan #findyourfit. Everything is group exercise-based, not just kettlebells, and it’s designed to be fun.
I believe happiness and health are two of the most important things in life and that confronting life’s challenges makes you stronger. Over the years, I’ve worked with many wonderful people in large groups, small groups and one-to-one and know my experiences have helped me become a stronger person and instructor.
I’ve had to draw on that mental strength in this crazy year of injuries and accidents. My motto is ‘be strong, be fearless and believe anything is possible’ – but even so, just being able to step back onto the platform and lift again within the same 12 months is more than I dared to dream. It all comes down to belief. I just wasn’t willing to give up.
