ROOKDOWN’s weightlifter Ben Ross achieved a personal best on his way to fifth place at the Great British Championships.

Lifting in the under-69kg category in Coventry, the 28-year-old lifted 232kg, which was 22kg more than his total last year, when he finished seventh.

This time around he claimed fifth place with a snatch of 107kg and a clean and jerk of 125kg.

He attempted two further clean and jerk lifts of 130kg and 132kg, but unfortunately failed on both of them, leaving him just outside the medals.

The event was won by Chris Freebury with a lift of 260kg, the weight that Ross is aiming for as it is the qualifying weight for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, which are being held at the Gold Coast in Queensland.

After the event, Ross said: “I still have my sights firmly set on the Commonwealth Games and still believe I am on target to reach the qualifying weight.

“I was pleased to move up to fifth this time around and if I had made the two lifts I failed on, I would have been just closer to the medals.

“I will certainly be aiming for a top-three finish at the next British Championships.”

Ross will spend the rest of summer training hard ahead of his next competition, which is going to be the regional qualifiers in October.

Ross is a qualified coach in weightlifting and is looking to offer classes. For details, go to elite-bodyworks.com.