By Gary Anderson

December 31 - Jack Oliver picked up the 2013 Weightlifter of the Year Award ©Rebecca Andrews/BWLLondon 2012 Olympian Jack Oliver has been named as the British Weight Lifting (BWL) Athlete of the Year for 2013.

The 23-year-old secured the title after a year of consistent performances, which saw him hold his own at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Wrocław, Poland and also impress at the European Under 23 Championships in Estonia - where he set British under-23 records for both the clean and jerk and total.

Paralympian Ali Jawad was named as Powerlifting Athlete of the Year after he won gold at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Asian Open Championships with a world-record lift in November.

He is also a strong tip for success at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Rebekah Tiler took the Young Weightlifting Athlete of the Year award after she became European Youth Champion in Lithuania, which also saw her nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year title.

The Young Powerlifting Athlete of the Year is Panagotis Mamuneas, who won the British Bench Press Championship in the 54kg class and qualified for the 2014 World Championships in Dubai.

Tiler's coach, Eddie Halstead, was named Male Coach of the Year, while the female award went to Michaela Breeze.

Ali Jawad was named Powerlifting Athlete of the Year after his world record breaking performance at the Asian Open Championships ©Getty ImagesAli Jawad was named Powerlifting Athlete of the Year after his world record breaking performance at the Asian Open Championships ©Getty Images

























Mike Irani, who represents BWL on the IWF Executive Board, was recognised for his many years of service to weightlifting and received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Sport.

He has been involved as an administrator in the sport for more than 20 years and has been a member of the IWF and European Weightlifting Federation Medical Boards for more than two decades.

Other winners include London club Stars for the Future, which picked up the Team Award, while Team Manchester was named Development Club of the Year.

Technical Official of the Year went to Chris Baker, with Peter Larsen and Luke Jones picking up the Volunteer of the Year and Young Volunteer of the Year Awards respectively.

"These awards are about showcasing those people that have really made a difference to our sport in the last 12 months," BWL chief executive Ashley Metcalfe said.

"We rely massively on volunteers and supporters to ensure our sport can go from strength to strength.

"They are often the unsung heroes of the sport and behind any successful performance are numerous people who have given their time and effort to help the lifter on their way.

"Many of these people often remain in the background.

"They are passionate and committed individuals whose voluntary support has not only helped drive our lifters but also encouraged many other people to become involved and to develop the sport."

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