EMILY CAMPBELL smashed the Commonwealth Games record today as she retained her women’s 86+kg weightlifting title in style in Glasgow.

Campbell, two-time Olympic silver medallist, lifted a personal best 163kg in the clean-and-jerk section of the competition to earn a cumulative score of 278kg, well ahead of silver medallist Malaysia’s Siti Draman on 253kg, with Canada’s Etta Mae Love taking bronze.

The 32-year-old Campbell, who claimed her sixth successive European title in Batumi in April, sported a glitzy red and white weave as she stepped out to defend the title she first won at 87+kg in Birmingham in 2022.

Campbell tied for first place with New Zealand’s Tui-Alofa Patolo after the snatch portion of the competition, but did not even attempt a lift in the clean-and-jerk until her rivals had all completed their competition.

She duly stepped out to win the title with her first clean-and-jerk lift of 148kg — and with gold secured, she relished every moment of her victory lap, completing subsequent lifts of 155kg and 163kg before dancing off the stage to raucous acclaim in the Armadillo.

Cyrille Tchatchet’s weightlifting career turned full circle after securing a silver medal in the men’s 110kg category.

Tchatchet absconded from the Cameroon team during the 2014 Games in the same city and spent time sleeping rough before gaining asylum and slowly resurrecting his career.

This morning, watched by his mother who flew in from Cameroon for the first time for the occasion, Tchatchet reached the podium behind Fiji’s Taniela Rainibogi while wearing the red-and-white vest of England.

“I’m very shocked and very happy,” said Tchatchet, who had represented the Refugee Team at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo before making his switch in nationality permanent. “Being here now with a medal around my neck is magical.

“I came to the UK in 2014 and I’ve been competing ever since. It’s been a long journey and I’ve had to persist through a lot of challenges. I’m very proud because this medal means so much to me.”

Tchatchet was successful with all six of his lifts, reaching 166kg in the snatch portion of the competition and 208kg in the clean-and-jerk, giving him a total of 374kg that was four kilos lighter than his Fijian rival.