Zoe Smith will head a five-strong team of weightlifters who have been selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics.

Smith, 18, is celebrating her selection along with Natasha Perdue and male lifters Peter Kirkbride, Gareth Evans and Jack Oliver from Sidcup.

The announcement comes after a gruelling qualifying period that finished with the British Senior Championships just over two weeks ago.

“I’m elated to have been selected for the team. It has been a nerve-wracking period ahead of selection, so I’m glad that I’ve now secured my place and can definitely say I’ll be representing Team GB at the Games,” Smith said.

But while the quintet can now look forward to competing for Team GB at ExCeL in London, there is obvious disappointment for the likes of Jo Calvino, Emily Godley and Halil Zorba.

Team GB weightlifting head coach Tamas Feher said: “I am convinced we will participate at London with our strongest and best prepared team.

“Our five young strong-bodied and strong-minded athletes will show to millions around the world and in their own country exactly what it means to be a British weightlifter.

“The final stage of qualification was hard and all involved competitors did their best. There was a lot of sweat, pain and sacrifice, which is usual with weightlifting.

“But now all team members are ready for the hardest 50 days work of their lives to make sure they put in their best performance ever in front of their own fans.”

Athletes were only considered for nomination by British Weight Lifting to the British Olympic Association (BOA) selection panel if they hit the specified Olympic Qualifying A standard twice or B standard once in the same weight category, with those reaching the A grade given preference.

Smith, a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, had all but booked her place at the Olympics before the announcement having been the only lifter to hit the A standard, doing so twice albeit in two different weight categories.

A personal-best performance, beating all three of her own British Under-23 records, saw Smith make the grade in the women’s 63kg at last month’s British Championships, while she also did so in April’s European Championships in Turkey at 58kg – the weight she is set to compete at the Olympics.

But Smith has also had to recover from disappointment to make her place in the team. She saw her personal funding temporarily suspended in December 2010 after British Weightlifting declared she had arrived at a training camp overweight and without an acceptable training plan. It was reinstated two months later following a number of positive changes.