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Noorin Gulam is one of BU’s finest athletes and a name to look out for on the Olympic weightlifting scene.

Over the last five years, Noorin has tackled more than your average student. Despite this, she is a fantastic role model for aspiring female athletes and an icon in BU weightlifting. 

Noorin will soon take the journey to the in Thailand; both her biggest achievement and challenge to date.

Noorin has studied at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ since 2014, a longer spell than most students. Initially studying BSc (Hons) Psychology, Noorin left the course (which wasn’t quite the right fit for her) to join the British Weightlifting Golden Chance program; a talent search for British female athletes to compete at the Tokoyo 2020 Olympic Games. She then returned to BU in September 2015 to study BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology & Coaching Sciences while pursuing her weightlifting dreams.

Noorin first started weightlifting in GCSE PE and immediately fell in love with the sport, going to her first competition just six weeks later. Noorin has since been successful in many competitions, most recently winning a silver medal in the and has represented TeamGB several times, with her long-term goal of representing Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games still well within her grasp.

²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ student Noorin Gulam at a weightlifting competition

Like every performance athlete at BU, Noorin has had to adjust to the unique challenge of balancing her studies with her sporting career. Since her return to BU in 2015, Noorin has gone from strength-to-strength, achieving several firsts in her course and completing a 30-week placement at the – all while achieving exceptional levels in her sport. 

Just a few of Noorin’s achievements in the last 4 years include; setting a new clean and jerk record in her category in 2015, winning TeamBU Sports Woman of the Year in 2015 and 2016, representing TeamGB at the 2016 and becoming BUCS Champion in 2017. Noorin also coached a fellow BU weightlifter to achieve Gold at the 2018 Bristol Open, showing that her talents lie beyond performing.

Noorin has suffered her fair share of injuries too, making her sporting journey all the more impressive. After straining her medial collateral ligament during a warm-up, Noorin returned to weightlifting too quickly, which led to her suffering from chronic tendinopathy, as well as bone bruising – both of which took a year to heal.

With the support of both BU and , Noorin has adapted her training program around her injuries. This includes incorporating eccentric and isometric training into her training routines (to strengthen and condition her tendons) as well as squatting less frequently. This careful management of her body has enabled Noorin to return to competition stronger than ever before. The 2019 British Weightlifting Championships are testament to this, where Noorin won Gold in the 49kg women’s event.

Noorin has faced many challenges over the past 5 years yet through her dogged determination, a deep-rooted passion for her sport and the help of the support networks at SportBU, Noorin continues to go from strength to strength in the world of weightlifting.

July 2019