Just six years after being involved in a horrific crash which left her in a coma, Amber Hannant has achieved her dream of becoming a world powerlifting champion.

The 23-year-old recently travelled to America for the championships where she competed in the squat, bench and deadlift categories, beating two British records, a European record and being crowned the overall winner.

Miss Hannant, who lives in Thurlton, trained seven days a week in the build up to the competition and said she feels “on top of the world”.

“It’s just amazing,” she said. “I was looking at the scoreboard throughout the day and half way through I thought I can actually win this.

“And when they called out my name as world champion it was pretty incredible.”

Miss Hannant was a passenger in the crash which left her with a broken pelvis, ruptured spleen, punctured lung and broken ribs.

Nine months later, after spending eight weeks in a wheelchair, she started rehabilitation sessions at Seasons Health Club in Beccles, where she was encouraged to take up powerlifting.

Now working as a personal trainer at the same gym, Miss Hannant has dedicated her life to training and building her strength, competing in the National Powerlifting Championships earlier this year and the Four Nations Powerlifting Championships in Ireland.

She travelled to Boston on November 1 to compete in the world championships, where she squatted 122.5kg, lifted 80kg in the bench press, setting a British and European record, and 137.5kg in the deadlift. It gave her an overall total of 340kg, again beating another British record.

The results meant Amber won the junior title for her weight category - 58.5kg - won the open category for competitors over 24-years-old and came fourth overall. She said: “I haven’t stopped smiling and I feel like I’m on top of the world.

“I was really nervous but the atmosphere was great and there were loads of people supporting us.”

The next time Miss Hannant competes she will be 24, and will move up to the open category.

She now has her sights set on becoming the European and world champions for that too.

Miss Hannant was joined on the trip by her coach and fellow world champion Callum Barney.

She would like to thank Clay Interiors, Beccles Tyre Centre, Read Brothers Ltd and ADV Sport for sponsoring her.