Sheli McCoy

Sheli Jane McCoy (born 10 July 1988) is a Scottish 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.

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

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.

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

She was a guest speaker for the Dundee University in February 2024 giving their Annual Public Lecture in Entrepreneurship. She was a guest on the BBC Sounds podcast For Fitness Sake in March 2024. That month, she also appeared on the BBC One charity fundraising show Comic Relief. 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.

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

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. 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. She is a teetotal.

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.