Anastasia Greenwood, a 22-year-old fairground assistant manager at Butlin's Skegness, will make her international powerlifting debut at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Canada next month. She will represent Team England in the bench press discipline.
From fairground to international platform
Greenwood, a Skegness local, began powerlifting in January 2025 and now holds a personal best of 65kg in the bench press. She decided to start competing in June 2025 after earning her Level 1 Powerlifting Coaching qualification from British Powerlifting while studying at the University of Lincoln.
At work, Greenwood is the go-to team member when dodgems and go-karts need moving, putting her strength to practical use as fairground assistant manager.
Rapid rise in competitive powerlifting
The Commonwealth Championships will mark only the fifth competition in her powerlifting career. In April, Greenwood placed second at the English Bench Press Championships, earning her an invitation to compete for Team England.
The opportunity came as a surprise to Greenwood, who entered the competition simply hoping to fall back in love with the sport after coming close to quitting just months earlier.
Training and medal prospects
Despite being relatively new to competitive powerlifting, Greenwood will head to Canada with a genuine chance of a medal. With the support of her coach, she has been training four times a week at Prime Fitness in Skegness as she prepares to compete on the international stage for the first time.
“I'm feeling really excited to be competing at my first international event,” Greenwood said. “I've had to work hard to change my mindset in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Championships, and I'm grateful for the support of my coach and friends.
“The team on resort have really got behind me, especially while I've been balancing work with training four times a week. I'll be thinking of them as I step onto the platform in Canada.
“Although my main goals are to have fun and enjoy the whole experience, I am in contention to place first in my category. I'll absolutely fight for gold, but if I come home with bronze or silver, I'll be just as happy.”
Support from Butlin's Skegness
Andrew Leivers, resort director at Butlin's Skegness, said: “Everyone at Butlin's was incredibly proud when we heard Anastasia had been invited to compete at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships, and we'll be cheering her on all the way from Skegness in September.
“Anastasia plays a huge role in making sure one of the busiest parts of our resort runs smoothly for thousands of guests, alongside supporting her team as fairground assistant manager. She not only pushes herself to constantly improve but also those around her too.”
