Down’s syndrome athlete is first Scottish adaptive Olympic weightlifting champion as he wins title in Inverness - He is cheered on by three-time World’s Strongest Man champion Tom Stoltman
Inverness weightlifter Richard Sutherland has become the first ever Scottish adaptive Olympic weightlifting champion.
The 50-year-old, who has Down’s syndrome, claimed gold at the Northern District Championship which took place at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club.
Sutherland successfully pulled off all six of his lifts on the day to claim gold and has gone down in the record books as the first ever adaptive Olympic Weightlifter to ever step onto a platform in competition in Scotland.
Sutherland, who lives at Oak Ridge Residential Home was encouraged to take part in the competition by his coach Jordan Bowie, who runs Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club on Thornbush Road, which he established in 2023.
Bowie says it was an incredible achievement from Sutherland and create history by becoming the first adaptive Olympic Weightlifter to compete in a competition in Scotland.
He says that he is a true inspiration that disability should not be an obstacle to achieving your goals.
He said: “Richard successfully lifted all six of his weights which included three snatch lifts and three clean and jerk lifts to become champion.
“That is now Richard in the record books as the first adaptive weightlifter to compete on a platform in Scotland.
“It is a massive achievement for him. It probably hasn’t sunk what he has actually accomplished.
“What Richard has shown other people is that you are able to take part in weightlifting no matter what your disability is.
“Richard has proven to be a true inspiration.”
In what was already an incredible day for Sutherland, he was also cheered on by his hero three-time World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman at the competition.
The Invergordon powerhouse turned up at the competition on Saturday as a surprise for Sutherland.
Bowie said when Sutherland saw Stoltman, it made him even more determined to do well in the competition.
He said: “His face was absolutely delighted when Tom turned up to the competition.
“It was a complete surprise to see him and when Richard saw Tom, his eyes lit up.”
Sutherland is now looking to build on his success and prepare for another competition scheduled to take place before the end of the year.
Read: Inverness weightlifter is called up to represent Scotland in international competition.
The Northern District Championship saw a total of 43 lifters from across Scotland compete at Inverness Olympic Weightlifting Club in a number of categories.
