REBEKAH Tiler's outstanding performance in winning triple bronze at the European Senior Championships last week confirmed that Great Britain will have one women's place at this summer's Olympic Games.

Now the 17-year-old from Denholme – the youngest medallist of the week – aims to pip her great rival Zoe Smith to claim that spot in Rio.

Former Bingley Grammar School pupil Tiler, after weighing in at a perfect 68.15kg, took third place in the snatch, the clean and jerk and the overall standings in the women's 69kg category at Forde in Norway for her first senior international medals.

European junior champion only last year, the Mytholmroyd Weightlifting Club member opened the competition with 95kg in the snatch, narrowly missed out on 98kg in her second lift and then lifted 99kg to secure her first bronze medal, and Team GB's second medal in the championships.

Tiler then placed third in the clean and jerk with 123kg, thus adding two more medals and vital points to Team GB's Championship total.

"I trained really extra hard for this and I didn't expect a medal. My knees are done in," said Tiler, who is also European and Commonwealth youth champion.

"I reckon that's probably my best performance so far. I was close to my best and now I have a chance for the Olympics. It's between me and Zoe."

Tiler didn't forget the people who had helped to get her there, such as Keighley butcher Ian Hewitt, who has sponsored the teenager for almost two years (usually via beefsteak and chicken), and Sowerby Bridge gym owner Richard Hornsey, who let Rebekah use his Crossfit Boudicca premises earlier in the year when her Mytholmroyd Community Centre training base was flooded by the River Calder.

British Weight Lifting performance director Tommy Yule said: "We are really proud of Rebekah's performance in what was an extremely high-pressured competition environment.

"Her ability to handle this on the senior stage was very impressive, and to come away with three bronze medals and significant points towards the team's Olympic qualification is a fantastic achievement."

British Weight Lifting's chief executive officer Ashley Metcalfe added: "Rebekah's performance was absolutely outstanding and is really testament to the hard work that she has put in over the past 18 months to two years, and testament to the work that she has put in with the BWL coaches and her local coaches, Eddie Halstead in particular.

"What happened in Norway shows that we are improving as a nation and that we have two or three who have outstanding potential on the world stage."

Tiler's display was worth 23 Olympic qualifying points and made sure of Britain's one place for women at the Rio Games.

That place is expected to go to either Tiler or Commonwealth Games gold medallist Smith, who was fourth overall in the women's 63kg. The choice between the two is now harder than it was before the Euros.

Smith also took bronze in the clean and jerk, but the 21-year-old described her performance as "disappointingly lacklustre".

Metcalfe also confirmed that Britain also have one men's place for Rio but said that any additional places for Brazil were dependent upon places being made available by other countries after things such as failed doping tests.

He explained: "There are a number of appeals going through at the moment after doping tests, so we will have to see if any other places become available and which countries they go to, but there is no timescale."

Tiler's success came after an unpromising Northern Weightlifting Seniors event at Ellesmere Port earlier this month.

She admitted on Facebook: "I did not have a good day. I weighed bang on 69kg and felt good but when I started the warm-up, my legs felt heavy and then I tore my hand again, so Ed said to do 90kg.

"But it took two goes to get it. |In the clean and jerk, my hand was hurting and Ed cut the number of warm-ups and I took big jumps to do 115kg on the platform, making 205kg in total."

After that, training in the UK and Norway went well, although she admitted that over-excitement cost her in the clean and jerk when she was going for silver.

She said: "It was a great feeling to be on the podium, with Caroline Charles (BWL trustee and technical official) giving me a medal.

"I have had a really good week here in the very beautiful Forde, the medals were the icing on the cake and it was a really good experience for me."

Smith and Tiler's final showdown is likely to be the Cybex British Championships at Coventry's Ricoh Arena on June 11-12.