Woman estate agent, 25, quits her job to pursue Olympic dream... as a weightlifter

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 04:58 EST, 31 August 2010


Sunny with a chance: Sunny Brar is already an Olympic contender after only 10 months as a weightlifter

Sunny with a chance: Sunny Brar is already an Olympic contender after only 10 months as a weightlifter

A woman estate agent has quit her job to pursue her dream of competing in the Olympics - as a weightlifter.

Sunny Brar has only been pumping iron for 10 months, but has already shot up to become the British number two in her class.

She'll be following in the footsteps of Michaela Breeze who was our only female weightlifter at Beijing.

The 25-year-old, who ditched her job as an estate agent to put all her effort into going for gold at the Olympics in 2012, said the sport was 'fantastic'.

Miss Brar, who lives in Sutton, Surrey, says she has been sports mad since she was a child, excelling at gymnastics and pole-vaulting, but turned to weighlifting last year.

Already British number two in the 63kg class, Sunny said: 'I have tried my hand at loads of sports but I wish I had tried weightlifting sooner.

'If I had started earlier I could have represented England at the Commonwealth Games, but now I'm aiming for the Olympics.' 

Miss Brar admitted that she had 'initial misgivings' about the sport - normally associated with hulking muscle-bound competitors - but fell in love with it after 'giving it a go' last November.

She added: 'It would be great if a lot more people could get involved.

'When I first heard about weightlifting I was not sure, but now I would recommend it to anyone.

Brar bells: Sunny is training hard for 2012 - her current bests in competition are 72.5kg clean & jerk and 65kg snatch.

Brar bells: Sunny is training hard for 2012 - her current bests in competition are 72.5kg clean & jerk and 65kg snatch.

Heavy lifting: The bar bells that Sunny lifts in training weigh around 11 stone.

Heavy lifting: The bar bells that Sunny lifts in training weigh around 11 stone.

'I think I could have gone far in my job as an estate agent, but that is one of the sacrifices that I have had to make.' 

Miss Brar used to work 12-hour days as an estate agent and then go to weightlifting classes in the evening, but now she is devoted to practicing full time in a bid to make the London Olympics.

Her coach at Sutton and Epsom Weightlifting Club, Phil Nourse, said: 'When she came down I knew straight away she was a natural.

'She would have definitely got into the Commonwealth Games if she had started earlier and now she's aiming for the ultimate goal - the Olympics.'