A WEIGHTLIFTING superstar enhanced his growing reputation by claiming a European title. Josh Lynch, a Year 8 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, turned in another sensational performance to come away with Gold at the Junior Battle Championships, which were held in Austria on Saturday, June 17. The talented 13-year-old, who was representing Wales for the first time, not only dominated his weight category but also emerged as one of the stars of the tournament thanks to his eye-catching effort. Lynch, who has been tipped for future Olympic honours by coach and Commonwealth Games hopeful Harry Mysangyi, produced three new personal bests to lift 70kg in the Snatch, 87kg Clean and Jerk with a total of 157kg. This was good enough to gain the best Sinclair Score of the whole group, in addition to recording a better overall total of two weight classes above him. It has been a memorable year for the Sale Sharks Rugby Academy prospect, who has gained a plethora of Welsh records and also qualified for the IAPS National Schools’ Athletics Championships later this year. Allen Boyd, director of sport at Rydal Penrhos, said: “Josh continues to show just what an enormous amount of talent he has, and to become a European champion is a simply sensational achievement. “This is down to the hard work of both Josh and his coaches, who have put in a lot of time on improving all areas of his lifting in the lead-up to this competition. “Everyone at Rydal Penrhos is thrilled for Josh and I am confident this will be a stepping stone for further international success in the future.”