If successful, the 27-year-old would become the second Maltese weightlifter in Olympic history after Kyle Micallef became the first man to compete in the sport at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

"It would mean the absolute world to me and it would mean that the last four years of sacrifice have finally paid off," said Stevens to the Olympic Channel.

"My dream really is to have made a huge impact for my country in this sport.

"They believe in my dream and they've been supporting and following my journey from the very start.

"I almost feel like I would be doing this for them – for my country, for my family, for my friends."

Stevens suffered an injury in the build-up to the 2019 World Championships, leaving her to consider her future in weightlifting.

She opened up on social media about her issues as she struggled with her mental health.

"I think for a while I was very confused about the rest of my career," she added.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to just give up and I know that sounds harsh, but at that moment it was such a confusing time.

"Everyone has to deal with the mental aspect behind sport and I really wanted to talk about it, because whenever I heard other athletes talk about mental health it's always really helped me."

With the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has led to further difficulties for Stevens who said she was trying to be positive about the situation.

This year she has focused on fixing any injury worries to leave herself in better shape for the rescheduled Games in 2021.

Stevens already boasts major competition experience, having finished seventh in the women's 63 kilograms category at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

In 2018 she became the first woman from Malta to compete at the Weightlifting World Championships when she debuted in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.

Stevens is also a triple Mediterranean Games bronze medallist in the sport.