Weightlifting 'saved life' after cancer diagnosis

3 days ago

Ellen Knightin Shrewsbury

News image — Dawn Williams, pictured here achieving a 48kg personal best in the snatch lift, was diagnosed with cancer in 2023

BBC Dawn pictured holding a large dumbbell over her head and smiling widely. She's wearing black leggings, a black sleeveless top and white and pink trainers, and has her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She's photographed indoors, inside her gym - which has cream walls and a brown wooden floor. Behind her are multiple flags, including the Union Flag, hung up on the wall. — Dawn Williams, pictured here achieving a 48kg personal best in the snatch lift, was diagnosed with cancer in 2023

A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer has said weightlifting gave her the "best possible chance" of recovering.

Dawn Williams, 52, is now cancer-free and credits the sport with giving her confidence and strength to get through gruelling chemotherapy.

She has won four gold medals for weightlifting - and three of them were achieved after her cancer diagnosis.

Taking up the sport and continuing to train has "absolutely saved my life," Williams said, adding that it benefitted her both physically and mentally.

In December 2025, she won gold in her category of the English Weightlifting Championships.

But a little more than two years previously, Williams was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and had to undergo a double mastectomy.

"I think for any female, hearing that they've got breast cancer is pretty scary," she said.

"I think my first response was - is my life ever going to be the same?"

Dawn Williams A woman with long blonde hair pictured ringing a large silver bell, indicating her recovery from cancer. She's wearing a black, white and green floral patterned top. — Dawn Williams had a double mastectomy and has since been declared cancer-free

When Williams received her diagnosis, she decided that staying fit and strong would give her "the best possible chance" of recovering from the disease.

She even competed in the British championships two weeks before her chemotherapy started, and continued to train throughout the treatment.

Sam Heenan is Williams' coach at Evolution Weightlifting in Shrewsbury, and said the sport could "improve bone density" and "connective tissue strength."

"A lot of people will come out of chemotherapy and they'll be weaker, but we managed to structure her training so that she actually came out stronger," he added.