A WEIGHTLIFTER from the region has been crowned Britain's Strongest Woman in the middleweight category.

Jenny Todd, 27, originally of Hartlepool but now living at Bishop Middleham, County Durham, will now represent her country at next year's World Championships in Ohio.

She only took up the sport two-and-a-half years ago after being encouraged by legendary North-East strongman Mark McLoughlin, who spotted her training one day at the gym, and won her very first competition.

The British championships were held in Northampton and Ms Todd won in the under-75kg category. To win she had to lift a 80kg steel cylinder, which was 320mm in diameter, from the floor and press it above her head, carry an 80kg beer keg and 80kg sandbag in a race.

Her record lift is 110kg, about 16stone, which is well above her bodyweight of just 75kg, or just over eleven-and-a-half stones. She has also previously won a Europe's strongest woman competition, come second in the World Championships and won in the under-73kg category in another strong woman competition just a week before her winning the British category.

Ms Todd, who has recently started work as as a self-employed personal trainer at the Lifestyle Fitness gym in Hartlepool, said her best event was the farmer's walk which involves walking with two heavy bars carrying a heavy weight, cutting deep into the hands. Lifting a dead weight had torn her forearms open. "It's something you really have to commit to," she said. "I used to do it for a aesthetic reasons, to look athletic, but now I build my career around it. I would like to be the world's strongest woman."

To be trained by Britain's strongest woman at the Lifestyle Fitness gym call Ms Todd on 07795566775 or log on to facebook.com/JennyToddPersonalTraining