Josh Hutton sets three new records at English Senior Championships

Team Sunderland Elite Athlete Josh Hutton set three new records at the English Senior Championships on December 10, 2023, and the 19-year-old has further achievements in his sights.

Hutton started the championships by beating his own U20 British record in the Snatch twice, lifting 137 kg and 140 kg, before taking the record for the age group in the Clean & Jerk at 161 kg. The overall lifts combined to 301 kg, an 18 kg increase on the previous record, landing him fourth across all ages for the 102 kg category.

The winner of last year’s BUCS gold medal winner finished just one kg away from a spot on the podium in the Senior Championships in what he admits was a “bittersweet moment”, but the blow is cushioned by now holding all three records for his age range.

“I hit an unofficial British record Snatch of 140 kg back in September at a tournament competition so it was nice to officially set that record on the national stage,” Hutton told SportsByte. “I’ve been chasing the Clean & Jerk record for a while now, so to finally break it meant a lot to me as that was the final U20 record I needed to hold all three British records in my weight category.

“I was feeling confident going into this competition, my build-up with training leading into this competition was the best it’s ever been, with lots of late nights and long training sessions in the gym over the past few months working on getting stronger and refining the technical aspects of my lifts with my coaches. 

“It’s been tough but taking the time to work on my weaknesses and rebuilding the foundations of my lifting so I could go into the competition at my strongest both physically and mentally to produce my best performance to date.

“It was a bittersweet moment [to miss out on the podium] but after some reflection I’m using that feeling as motivation to make that push for a place on the podium and to progress even further in future competitions. 

“To be that close to a bronze medal and to be in the top four in my weight category in England, it’s nice to know that I’m not too far away from the podium.”

Hutton is just three kilograms away from the under 23 record of 143 kg in the Snatch, set by Omar Keshta, and the young talent has that in his sights – along with defending his BUCS title at the Nationals in February.

“I am extremely confident that I will break [Keshta’s] record within the next year. I attempted 144 kg on the day of the competition as my third and final attempt of the Snatch, but I wasn’t successful and it was deemed a missed lift. 

“With more training I’m definitely capable of taking that record and more. Records are always something I want to work towards and it’s always in the back of my mind as a target to try and hit.

“Winning BUCS will definitely be my priority this year, especially since I’ll be defending my BUCS title. I will look to break and reset my records on the day, as I am always wanting to improve and better myself each competition but winning the gold medal is definitely my main goal.”