A Paralympic hopeful from East Bergholt met with the town’s mayor before heading off to the Games.

Paralympic powerlifter Zoe Newson met the mayor of Ipswich, councillor Mary Blake, at Soroptimist International Ipswich & District’s 60th anniversary lunch.

The 20-year-old East Bergholt athlete is being sponsored by Soroptimist International Ipswich & District – an organisation for professional and business women.

Zoe is currently ranked No.1 in Europe and fourth in the world.

She is first up at the ExCeL in east London today in her category – women up to 40kg – where she will aim to lift well over twice her own body weight.

Zoe is a former world junior champion and took silver at both junior and senior levels at the 2009 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Games in India and holds the European record.

Visit www.soroptimist-ukpac.org for more on Soroptimist International.