Isabella Brown wants to change perceptions of what it means to be a female weightlifter – and hopes her Commonwealth silver medal can help her do it.

Brown lifted a total of 229kg in the women’s 77kg in Glasgow, with her 132kg clean and jerk a Games record as she finished behind Samoa’s Seine Stowers.

It was another addition to a burgeoning collection for the 21-year-old, who also earned European bronze last year to add to a haul of junior medals.

Brown cuts a distinctive figure on the platform, with a ribbon tying her glittered hair. Her makeup almost untouched by the incredible feats she had just pulled off, and the emotions that followed.

It is a conscious decision by an athlete who wants to break down how weightlifting is perceived and to get more women into the sport.

“I started quite young, at 15. If you tell teenage boys that you're doing weightlifting, they think it's funny and mock you,” she said.

“But I've always been really feminine. Coming from gymnastics as well, I wanted to keep that side of myself.

“I like doing my hair and makeup, and I wanted to show that you can be both. You can be strong and feminine. There's no barrier to that.

“I don't think people would look at me and immediately think ‘weightlifter’. You can look however you want and still lift weights.

“I think perceptions have definitely changed. The gym culture is much more positive now, and people are really into it.

“There's still a long way to go, but since I started, it's completely different.”

Commonwealth silver will further enhance the Ashford native's reputation as one of the most exciting talents in the weightlifting world.

The 21-year-old missed her first two snatches but shrugged off the pressure to nail her third attempt before dominating in the clean and jerk.

Her 132kg is a Commonwealth Games record and Brown knows there is more to come in the snatch.

“It's pretty special,” she said. “It wasn't how I wanted it to go, but to come away with silver, I can't be mad about that.

“I missed my first two snatches on 97kg, a weight that I've not missed for the last eight weeks. I’ve lifted over 100kg in training sessions, but I couldn't get it together when it mattered.

“I think there's definitely work to be done, but the fact that I turned it on for the clean and jerk and came away with a PB proves that I'm a fighter.

“For that final snatch, my mindset was simple: if I didn't make it, I was out. It's a weight that I know I can pretty much do with my eyes shut, so there was no reason to miss it.

“Looking at what the other girls were opening on, I knew I had the clean and jerk to make it up.

“After the clean and jerks, it was mostly relief. My second attempt put me into silver, which was the medal I came for.

“Going out for that extra kilo was for me. Yes, it was a Games record, but I wanted to do something that showed all the hard work I've put in during this last block.”

James Reid/Sportsbeat 2026