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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | London, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She initially competed in diving, but weightlifting coach Keith Morgan thought she had the potential to switch sports. "I thought I would try it and if I didn't like it, fair enough, but Keith said if I didn't try it then there could be an opportunity missed. I tried it, then stopped everything else. I had found weightlifting. I had found where I fitted in and belonged." |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She chose to focus on weightlifting at age 13. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Coach Keith Morgan and her family. (activecommunities.org.uk, 20 Nov 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Coach, Consultant, Manager |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Jo (Twitter profile, 18 Sep 2018; activecommunities.org.uk, 18 Nov 2014) |
| Other information | VETERAN LIFTER Speaking in 2018, which she said was her 25th year of weightlifting, she said she has overcome numerous challenges in her career, notably relating to funding and competition selections, including not being selected for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. "I think some of the challenges in my sport was I started when there was no funding so international opportunities were restricted, however I have been in the sport and watched funding come and go, and I'm still here. For me some of the toughest moments have been on selections and decisions for major champs, which has been plenty in my time and somewhat frustrating but I do my sport because I love my sport and if I quit they win. It's also very hard to see a sport you love be led by poor governance and decisions that are not always for the benefit of the sport or the athlete, however I am grateful for the lessons it has taught me and the strength in character I have built." (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 12 Feb 2018) ANTI DOPING COMMISSION In 2018 she was appointed as an Athlete Commission member for UK Anti-Doping [UKAD]. "I hope not just to be a voice for weightlifting but represent the many friends and training partners and athletes I know across many sports in a bid to keep it clean. It is important to me that I voice the issues or concerns to the people that are in positions to make positive changes for the good of British sport." (Twitter profile, 18 Sep 2018; Instagram profile, 01 Jan 2018; iwf.net, 20 Jul 2018) COACHING Since 2017 she has served as training manager at the Rio Ferdinand Foundation in London, England. In February 2018 she began working as the Coach Education Manager for Weightlifting Wales. "I'm excited to join the team of Weightlifting Wales and I am inspired to develop and expand the educational programme to both nurture developing coaches and provide high quality awards and tuition for those from different sporting and fitness backgrounds. Growing up in a male dominated sport there were very few female weightlifting coaches in the system worldwide, and over the past decade this has changed and continues to change across the sport, however for me I always felt it important to share my knowledge and experience to support the next generation of lifters, both male and female, either through mentoring them in training or coaching them at competitions." (jocalvino.com, 01 Mar 2018; LinkedIn profile, 01 Feb 2018; weightlifting.wales, 01 Feb 2018) OCCUPATION In addition to her coaching roles, she also works as a sports consultant. "I am a sports consultant covering a range of roles in all things sport, from sports development, club and athlete development, training and education and event management. My main work has been within aquatics and weightlifting although I'm expanding in sports and currently [2018] working for Rio Ferdinand Foundation. I like to keep busy and enjoy socialising with family and friends but also enjoy a good chill out at home." (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 12 Feb 2018) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Crystal Palace Weightlifting Club: London, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Other sports | She was a national level diver before switching to weightlifting, and competed in the sport at the London Youth Games. (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 12 Feb 2018; activecommunities.org.uk, 17 Nov 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
General Interest | |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning the 53kg category at the 2015 British Championships in Coventry, England, to claim her 20th senior British title. (britishweightlifting.org, 30 Jun 2015; Twitter profile, 27 Jun 2015) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "I believe that everyone is designed to do a specific sport, you've just got to go out and find it." (5staractive.com, 17 Nov 2014) |
| Injuries | In 2018 she suffered a fractured coccyx. After a 12-week break from weightlifting she returned to training in late June the same year. (Twitter profile, 18 Sep 2018; Instagram profile, 01 Jan 2018) She suffered a dislocated and fractured wrist in her first year of weightlifting. (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 12 Feb 2018) |
| Hero / Idol | US tennis player Serena Williams. (roadtogainsville.blogspot.com, 12 Feb 2018) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Training Regime | After taking a year-long break from the sport in 2016, she returned to competition in 2017 with a renewed approach to training. "My routine has tapered a little upon my return to competition in 2017, it's amazing taking one year out of a competitive programme, so I spent more sessions focusing on conditioning and preparing my body to the level required, training six to eight sessions a week, split between lifting sessions and fitness and conditioning sessions. Now [2018] I currently do between four to six sessions a week depending on my work schedule. I eat between four to six meals a day, depending on what phase of competition programme I'm in." |