Ahead of a busy summer for Commonwealth weightlifting star Rebekah Tiler, we caught up with her to see how her preparations were going.

Rebekah recently won three bronze medals at the European Weightlifting Championships in Forde where she increased her chances of selection in the GB squad for her place on the plane to Rio – a significant achievement considering she competed at the Commonwealth Games only last year.

“I am really confident and happy with my preparations and now it’s a case of just trying my hardest. I am really excited, but if I don’t qualify I won’t be too disheartened as there is always 2020.”

And the Yorkshire weightlifter will be hoping to be joined on the plane by a number of other Team England athletes to form a strong English presence amongst Team GB in Rio.

“I expect there to be a strong English showing amongst Team GB, with the likes of Zoe Smith who is really strong, and it should be a really good experience showing that England can excel there.”

Despite still only being 17 years old, Rebekah has achieved so much; having finished fourth in Glasgow 2014 and comfortably winning gold at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa – all experiences that she believes have helped her get to where she is today.

“Narrowly missing out on a medal at Glasgow 2014 was disappointing, but since then it has helped me to build my confidence and winning gold in Samoa was another massive boost.

“The multi-sport experience in Glasgow and Samoa was fantastic and I really enjoyed mixing with the other athletes from different sports. I think having these experiences will prepare me for the Olympics if I get selected and I couldn’t have got where I am today without the Commonwealth Games.”

Eventhough she won’t be competing at next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, Rebekah still offers her advice to the next generation of Team England.

“My advice to them is quite simple really – I would say it’s important to just keep focused, enjoy it and take the whole experience in.”