Michaela Alica Breeze MBE (born 17 May 1979) is a British former weightlifter. Breeze was born in Watford and raised in Cornwall and educated at Wadebridge School.[1] She started weightlifting under the guidance of PE teacher Dave Allen.[citation needed] Breeze then went on to Bodmin Community College before attending the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.[2] Breeze is well known for commentating at various events including Rio Olympics and Tokyo Olympics.
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| Born | 17 May 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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After nearly eighteen months of starting weightlifting she was put in touch with a new coach, Ken Price. She sustained a back injury in 2000, which saw her miss international competition and training for over a year.
After taking a silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Breeze retired from the sport and opened a gym in Aberdare. However, she made a comeback for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, motivated by a desire to push athletes she was coaching towards qualifying for the Games themselves. Breeze won a bronze medal in the 58 kg competition, setting a new Commonwealth Games snatch record and subsequently announced her second retirement.[3]
Breeze also taught PE at Ivybridge Community College in Devon.[2] She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to weightlifting.[4][5]
Major results
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| 2008 |  Beijing, China[6] | 63 kg | 80 | 85 | --- | 14 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 14 | 185 | 14 |
| 2004 |  Athens, Greece | 58 kg | 92.5 | 9 | 115 | 120 | 14 | 212.5 | 9 | |||
| Commonwealth Games | ||||||||||||
| 2014 |  Edinburgh, Scotland[7] | 58 kg | 91 | 93 | 3 | 108 | 109 | 3 | 202 |  | ||
| 2010 |  Delhi, India[8] | 63 kg | 90 | 92 | 2 | 110 | 2 | 202 |  | |||
| 2006 |  Melbourne, Australia[9] | 63 kg | 95 | 98 | 100 | 1 | 116 | 120 | 2 | 220 |  | |
| 2002 |  Manchester, England[10] | 58 kg | 87.5 | | 107.5 | 112.5 | | 200 | | |||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2007 |  Chang Mai, Thailand[11] | 63 kg | 97 | 9 | 118 | 11 | 215 | 10 | ||||
| 2003 |  Vancouver, Canada[12] | 58 kg | 87.5 | 13 | 107.5 | 17 | 195 | 16 | ||||
| 2002 |  Warsaw, Poland[13] | 58 kg | 87.5 | 92.5 | 4 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 6 | 205 | 5 | ||
| 2001 |  Antalya, Turkey[14] | 58 kg | 75 | 80 | 10 | 90 | 95 | 12 | 175 | 12 | ||
| 1999 | Piraeus, Greece[15] | 58 kg | 80 | 82.5 | 14 | 100 | 102.5 | 18 | 185 | 15 | ||
| European Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2008 |  Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy[16] | 63 kg | 96 | 99 | 6 | 117 | 120 | 5 | 219 | 5 | ||
| 2006 | Wladyslawowo, Poland[17] | 63 kg | 95 | 98 | | 117 | 120 | 122 | 4 | 220 | 4 | |
| 2005 |  Sofia, Bulgaria[18] | 63 kg | 92.5 | 95 | 97.5 | | 115 | 5 | 212.5 | 4 | ||
| 2004 |  Kyiv, Ukraine[19] | 58 kg | 92.5 | 4 | 112.5 | 117.5 | 120 | 5 | 212.5 | 4 | ||
| 2003 | Loutraki, Greece[20] | 58 kg | 90 | 4 | 112.5 | | 202.5 | | ||||
| 2002 | Antalya, Turkey[21] | 58 kg | 80 | 85 | 6 | 102.5 | 107.5 | 5 | 192.5 | 6 | ||
| 1999 |  La Coruna, Spain[22] | 58 kg | 72.5 | 77.5 | 6 | 92.5 | 97.5 | 7 | 175 | 6 | ||
| 1998 |  Riesa, Germany[23] | 58 kg | 70 | 72.5 | 8 | 87.5 | 92.5 | 6 | 165 | 7 | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||||||||||||
| 1999 |  Savannah, Georgia, United States[24] | 58 kg | 75 | 77.5 | 80 | 5 | 95 | 100 | | 180 | 4 | |
| 1998 | Sofia, Bulgaria[25] | 58 kg | 70 | 75 | | 87.5 | 92.5 | 6 | 167.5 | 5 | ||
| European Junior Championships | ||||||||||||
| 1999 | Spala, Poland[26] | 58 kg | 77.5 | 80 | 82.5 | | 97.5 | 100 | | 182.5 | | |
| 1998 | Sofia, Bulgaria[27] | 58 kg | 70 | 75 | | 90 | | 165 | | |||
Career achievements
- Bronze medal in the Clean and Jerk at the World Junior Championships held in Savannah, USA in 1999.
- Winning the European Junior title in Poland in 1999.
- Gold in the snatch and silvers in the Clean and Jerk and combined total at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
- Bronze medal in the 58 kg class at the European Senior Championships in Greece in 2003.
- 9th position in the 58 kg class of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[28]
- Gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
- 10th position in the 63 kg category at the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships.[28]
- 5th position in the 63 kg category at the 2008 European Weightlifting Championships.[28]
- 14th position in the 63 kg category of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[28]
- Won a silver medal at 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India in the Women's 63 kg Category.
- Won a bronze medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland.
Personal life
Breeze married Welsh netball representative Sinead Kelly in May 2015.[29]
