Michaela Breeze Explained

Michaela Alica Breeze (born 17 May 1979) is a British former weightlifter. Breeze was born in Watford and raised in Cornwall and educated at Wadebridge School.^[1] She started weightlifting under the guidance of PE teacher Dave Allen. Breeze then went on to Bodmin Community College before attending the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.^[2] Breeze is well known for commentating at various events including Rio Olympics and Tokyo Olympics.

After nearly eighteen months of starting weightlifting she was put in touch with a new coach, Ken Price. She sustained a back injury in 2000, which saw her miss international competition and training for over a year.

After taking a silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Breeze retired from the sport and opened a gym in Aberdare. However, she made a comeback for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, motivated by a desire to push athletes she was coaching towards qualifying for the Games themselves. Breeze won a bronze medal in the 58 kg competition, setting a new Commonwealth Games snatch record and subsequently announced her second retirement.^[3]

Breeze also taught PE at Ivybridge Community College in Devon.^[2] She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to weightlifting.^[4]

Major results

Year	Venue	Weight	Snatch (kg)				Clean & Jerk (kg)				Total	Rank
			width=40	1	width=40	2	width=40	3	width=40	Rank			width=40	1	width=40	2	width=40	3	width=40	Rank
Olympic Games
	Beijing, China[5]		80	85	---	14	80	90	100	14	185	14
			92.5	95	97.5	9	115	120	112.5	14	212.5	9
Commonwealth Games
	Edinburgh, Scotland[6]		91	93	95	3	108	109	113	3	202
	Delhi, India[7]		90	92	94	2	110	110	113	2	202
	Melbourne, Australia[8]		95	98	100	1	116	120	122	2	220
	Manchester, England[9]		87.5	87.5	87.5		107.5	112.5	112.5		200
	Chang Mai, Thailand[10]		97	97	97	9	118	121	121	11	215	10
	Vancouver, Canada[11]		87.5	90	90	13	107.5	107.5	107.5	17	195	16
	Warsaw, Poland[12]		87.5	92.5	95	4	107.5	107.5	112.5	6	205	5
	Antalya, Turkey[13]		75	80	80	10	90	95	100	12	175	12
	Piraeus, Greece[14]		80	82.5	85	14	100	102.5	105	18	185	15
	Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy[15]		96	99	101	6	117	120	120	5	219	5
	Wladyslawowo, Poland[16]		95	98	98		117	120	122	4	220	4
	Sofia, Bulgaria[17]		92.5	95	97.5		115	115	120	5	212.5	4
	Kyiv, Ukraine[18]		92.5	95	95	4	112.5	117.5	120	5	212.5	4
	Loutraki, Greece[19]		90	92.5	92.5	4	112.5	115	115		202.5
	Antalya, Turkey[20]		80	85	87.5	6	102.5	107.5	110	5	192.5	6
	La Coruna, Spain[21]		72.5	77.5	80	6	92.5	97.5	100	7	175	6
	Riesa, Germany[22]		70	72.5	75	8	87.5	92.5	95	6	165	7
	Savannah, Georgia, United States[23]		75	77.5	80	5	95	100	102.5		180	4
	Sofia, Bulgaria[24]		70	75	77.5		87.5	92.5	92.5	6	167.5	5
	Spala, Poland[25]		77.5	80	82.5		97.5	100	100		182.5
	Sofia, Bulgaria[26]		70	75	77.5		90	92.5	92.5		165

Career achievements

• Bronze medal in the Clean and Jerk at the World Junior Championships held in Savannah, USA in 1999.
• Winning the European Junior title in Poland in 1999.
• Gold in the snatch and silvers in the Clean and Jerk and combined total at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
• Bronze medal in the 58 kg class at the European Senior Championships in Greece in 2003.
• 9th position in the 58 kg class of the 2004 Summer Olympics.
• Gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
• 10th position in the 63 kg category at the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships.
• 5th position in the 63 kg category at the 2008 European Weightlifting Championships.^[27]
• 14th position in the 63 kg category of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
• Won a silver medal at 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India in the Women's 63 kg Category.
• Won a bronze medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Personal life

Breeze married Welsh netball representative Sinead Kelly in May 2015.^[28]

External links

• Interview for BBC Sport
• Profile for Athens 2004
• Athlete Biography at beijing2008

Notes and References

1. Web site: Michaela's last minute Games call | This is Cornwall . https://archive.today/20130421113324/http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Michaela-s-minute-Games/story-11427008-detail/story.html . dead . 21 April 2013 . thisiscornwall.co.uk . 2012 . 10 February 2012 .
2. Web site: Weightlifters and Powerlifters announced in Wales' quest for 2010 Commonwealth Games glory . disability-sport-wales.org . 8 July 2010 . 2 October 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231421/http://www.disability-sport-wales.org/14423.html?diablo.lang=cym . 4 October 2013 .
3. Web site: Commonwealth Games: Michaela Breeze claims weightlifting bronze medal in farewell . Doel . Jon . 26 July 2014 . . 26 July 2014.
4. Web site: Devon people recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours. BBC. 11 June 2011. 11 June 2011.
5. Web site: 2008 Olympic Games Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
6. Web site: Commonwealth Games Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
7. Web site: Commonwealth Games Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
8. Web site: Commonwealth Games Results. Commonwealth Games Federation. CGF. 11 April 2021.
9. Web site: Commonwealth Games Results. Commonwealth Games Federation. CGF. 11 April 2021.
10. Web site: 2007 World Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
11. Web site: 2003 World Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
12. Web site: 2002 World Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
13. Web site: 2001 World Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
14. Web site: 1999 World Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
15. Web site: 2008 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
16. Web site: 2006 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
17. Web site: 2005 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
18. Web site: 2004 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
19. Web site: 2003 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
20. Web site: 2002 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
21. Web site: 1999 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
22. Web site: 1998 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
23. Web site: 1999 World Junior Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
24. Web site: 1999 World Junior Weightlifting Championship Results. International Weightlifting Federation. IWF. 11 April 2021.
25. Web site: 1999 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
26. Web site: 1998 European Weightlifting Championship Results. European Weightlifting Federation. EWF. 11 April 2021.
27. Web site: BREEZE Michaela. International Weightlifting Federation.
28. Web site: Sinead Breeze Aims To Blow Away Opponents at the Commonwealth Games . . . Just Like Michaela . 1 April 2018 . dai-sport.com . 25 August 2019.