A clinical pharmacist has been chosen to represent England at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships, her NHS trust announced on June 16.

Caitlin Baxter, who works as part of the Northumbria Healthcare NHS trust, will represent England at the Commonwealth Championships in Winnipeg, Canada this September.

At the trust, she works as a pharmacist four days a week and says she heads “straight to training after work”.

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Juggling the two roles has involved “maintaining a disciplined routine of structured training, recovery, and meal prep” since she began powerlifting at university seven years ago.

Her competitive powerlifting journey began with her first event in 2020 and she has since “gone on to compete at 22 national and international competitions”.

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These included the Junior Great Britain team at the World and European Championships for three years in a row.

In March she earned a gold medal for her bench press at the European Championships and another gold in April at the English Open.

She has achieved personal best of a “170kg back squat, 116kg bench press, and 175kg deadlift”, but has hopes for “even bigger goals”.

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Caitlin says she enjoys the "supportive community”in the world of powerlifting, but also working at a pharmacy also  makes you “appreciate your body and what it can do”.

“I feel really supported working here - everyone is really invested in how I’m getting on,” she added. 

She is now “deep in training” for the Commonwealth Games and is “focusing on making the most of her first opportunity to compete for England”.

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Last September, C+D interviewed pharmacy student and Taekwondo world champion Eva Sandersen, who spoke about balancing “her pharmacy studies with a globetrotting taekwondo schedule, as well as her future aspirations in stunt work, acting and modelling”.

Pharmacist and ice-skater Helen Leighs was also interviewed about her sporting hobby in October 2024.

She works in cystic fibrosis clinics as an independent prescriber and also as specialist paediatric hospital pharmacist in Basingstoke.