Raymond Williams :
- Our sport struggles against more popular sports in Wales for example, Soccer, Rugby, Cricket and many more- Raymond Williams said.This leads to very little financial support from Central Government. Our club is "The Holyhead Weightlifting Club". It has over fifty members from novice up to international standard. We have had many great Athletes from Wales, David Morgan and Michaela Breeze are two World Class performers in our sport and t is hoped that we will have more in the future. Two athletes from our club are currently in the Development Squad for the 2012 London Olympics and I am hopeful that they will achieve their Goals. Williams explains the secrets of their success, "Rob Wrench, my old PE teacher cast his net far and wide and found me. Looking at the history of the sport, in every decade there has been high achievement in this area, with Holyhead High School acting as a feeder for our talent." He has high hopes for the future and is confident that Holyhead will continue to be a powerhouse in world weightlifting for years to come. - What ways can you help on weightlifting club's progress ? - I have for many years held annual events to raise funds to assist the development of my club and its athletes. As we live near the Coast I utilise the Sea as a natural environment for the Challenges. In 2003 I rowed 200 kilometers across the Irish Sea and raised 15,000 Euros for much needed equipment for the athletes. - How much money do you expect this year and what is it going to be used for? - The money this year is to purchase extra equipment as the Club will soon be extended from 4 to 9 Platforms. We expect approximately 6,000 Euros. It is hoped to raise funds for our club and also heighten the profile of our sport in the country in the process. Holyhead Weightlifting Club, which is based at Mill Bank Fields, has a rich heritage of producing world class weightlifters. In 2003, the Sports Council for Wales invested just over L685,000 towards a major refurbishment of the Mill Bank site; with improvements to the weightlifting facilities a key focus. The Isle of Anglesey County Council has recently agreed to extend the Weightlifting Club's training room due to increased membership and to facilitate the accredited training venue status that the club was recently awarded for the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Sports Council Wales) Raymond Williams (born September 9, 1959 in Holyhead, North Wales).
In 1977, Raymond was placed in the top ten at the Junior weightlifting championships in Sophia, Bulgaria, and was voted the young Welsh sports personality of the year. The award was presented to him by footballer John Toshack and Raymond remembers himself being only about 5'2", and John being extremely tall! He joined the army and served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers until 2003. Returning to the sport, Williams won the Welsh weightlifting championships in 1983 and the Celtic Nations title the following year.
He won the gold medal in the featherweight class at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. "Winning's like good wine - I can still remember the day vividly. After all the hard work in my sporting career, it was the icing on the cake." He said. However, he was lured out of retirement in 2002 when the Commonwealth games came to Manchester. Being 17 years older than the other competitors, he equalled the world veteran record, held by a Russian in the 40 to 45 class. In 2003, Williams was appointed as the first National Weightlifting Coach for Wales. Myrddin John, President Wales Weightlifting Federation :
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He started off his sporting career as a gymnast, but was introduced to the world of weightlifting by his physical education teacher at Holyhead High, Rob Wrench, who won a bronze medal in the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth games. Although there wasn't much equipment for weightlifting training in North Wales at the time, Rob Wrench did ensure that Raymond's school had a few Olympic weightlifting bars for their use.
