Sheli McCoy

Last updated
Sheli McCoy
Personal information
Birth nameSheli Jane McCoy
Nationality Flag of Scotland.svg Scottish
Born (1988-07-10) 10 July 1988 (age 35)
Windsor, Berkshire, England
Home town Menzieshill, Dundee, Scotland
Alma mater Robert Gordon University
Occupations
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain
Sport Weightlifting
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Back squat 140 kg (310 lb)
Clean and jerk 100 kg (220 lb)
Deadlift 160 kg (350 lb) [1]

Sheli Jane McCoy (born 10 July 1988) is a British CrossFit athlete, weightlifter and television personality, who set three Scottish weightlifting records in 2023. She appears as "Sabre" on British TV endurance sports game show Gladiators , in which she has become one of the key characters for the series' success.

Contents

Early life

Sheli Jane McCoy was born on 10 July 1988 in Windsor, Berkshire, [2] [3] [4] and graduated with a master's degree from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, before moving and living in the Menzieshill area of Dundee, Scotland. [5]

Career

McCoy has competed in five British Weightlifting Championships events and CrossFit championships, and became Scottish champion in both sports. She set three new Scottish records in Olympic weightlifting at the Scottish Championships in 2023, and ranked 104th out of over 23,000 participants in the 2023 CrossFit championships. [6] [7]

In 2024, she first appeared as Sabre on the BBC One television endurance sports game show Gladiators . [8] Although she suffered a mild injury during the semi-final stages of the competition, [9] she was described as a “standout" [10] and a "breakout star" from the television show. Initially, she wanted to be called Alpha, the name of her pet husky. [11] The success of the series has been credited in part to the popularity of new Gladiators like Sabre, Diamond and Fury. [12]

She was a guest speaker for the Dundee University in February 2024 giving their Annual Public Lecture in Entrepreneurship. [13] She was a guest on the BBC Sounds podcast For Fitness Sake in March 2024. [14] That month, she also appeared on the BBC One charity fundraising show Comic Relief . [15] In 2024, McCoy will also appear on television quiz show The Weakest Link as a contestant, alongside fellow Gladiators Giant, Apollo, Bionic, Athena and Fire. [16]

Personal life

5 ft 7 in tall, McCoy trains up to 16–19 hours per week to maintain her impressive physique. [17]

Her parents were both army sergeants. Her mother, Kaz, was in the Royal Signals and her father, Sean, was in the Scots Guards. She has a brother. Her father died in a car accident when she was three years-old. [18] She is the co-owner of a gym in Dundee alongside former professional ice hockey player Sam McCluskey. She also is a qualified sports rehabilitation therapist. [19] [20] She is a teetotal. [21]

She has opened about being a victim of domestic abuse during her previous relationship, which has inspired her to the career of becoming a fitness champion. [22]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleRef.
2024–present Gladiators Sabre [23]
2024 Comic Relief [15]
The Weakest Link Herself [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Athlete: Sheli McCoy". games.crossfit.com.
  2. ↑ "5 Facts About Gladiators Star Sheli 'Sabre' McCoy". Gymfluencers. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Sheli Jane MCCOY". GOV.UK . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "BBC Gladiators Sabre star Sheli McCoy on her true love, cheeky tattoo and injury nightmare". Leeds Live. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Clsrke, Debbie (21 March 2024). "Dundee Gladiators star Sheli McCoy tells her critics: 'It's my body and I will do as I want'". The Courier.
  6. ↑ Hepburn, David (16 January 2024). "Who is Sabre? Meet the Gladiator from Dundee and what has she has said about starring in the show". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  7. ↑ McDonald, Ben (14 January 2024). "Sheli McCoy: Who is Gladiators star from Dundee?". The Courier. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Interview: Scottish Gladiators star Sabre and owner of Dundee's Sweatbox gym Sheli McCoy on how SMEs can learn from the sporting world". The Scotsman. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Macdonald, Siobahn (20 June 2023). "Scots Gladiator star Sabre forced to pull out of show due to injury". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Evans, Alex (3 March 2024). "BBC Gladiators Sabre star Sheli McCoy says 'if I'm too big' as she fires back over fan's body comment". Leeds Live. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Evans, Alex (18 March 2024). "BBC Gladiators Sabre star Sheli McCoy on her 'shameful' guilty pleasure cheat and name she actually wanted on show". Examiner Live. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  12. ↑ "BBC Gladiators in hot water as fans spot 'fake' change at end of show". Examiner Live. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Pickles, Rufus (February 20, 2024). "Gladiator Sheli McCoy to deliver University of Dundee entrepreneurship lecture". Deadline News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Sheli McCoy: Sabre The Gladiator". bbc.co.uk. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Dundee Gladiator Sheli McCoy to appear in Comic Relief special". The Courier. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Gladiators reveal The Weakest Link crossover special". uk-news.yahoo.com.
  17. ↑ "Sabre (Sheli McCoy) | Gladiators". GladiatorsTV.com.
  18. ↑ Greenaway, Heather (23 March 2024). "Scots Gladiator Sabre credits her mum for giving her the resilience and strength to shine on hit TV show". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  19. ↑ Aitken, Ellidh (March 11, 2024). "Why Dundee's Sheli McCoy has made her last appearance on this season's Gladiators" . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  20. ↑ Hall, Tasha (24 February 2024). "Inside BBC Gladiators Scots star Sheli McCoy's glamorous life off screen". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  21. ↑ Choudhury, Yasmin (March 24, 2024). "How to work out like the Gladiators — by Sabre and Apollo". The Times. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  22. ↑ MacDonald, Stuart. "Dundee Gladiators star Sheli McCoy opens up on surviving domestic abuse". The Courier.
  23. ↑ "Sabre, Apollo and Dynamite have the heart of winners as they join Gladiators". BBC Media Centre.
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