Training with a Vengeance

The Weightlifting Academy of Tasmania (WAT) has now been in operation for just 3 months and already the Academy is making a significant contribution to the sport of Weightlifting in Australia.  On chilly winter nights, Academy members are fired up with training under the watchful eye of three coaches Leo Isaac, Tony O’Malley and Ben Clark. Athletes are self-monitoring and watching the tonnes individually lifted per week grow, 50, 60, 70, 80 tonnes per week and more. Now that the Australian Masters Weightlifting Championships have past in which Brooke Whiley-Browning won gold, we look forward to this weekend’s Australian Youth Championships in Brisbane in which Truen Johns and Zac Millhouse  will contest in the Under 15 age groups. Newer members look forward to their first Weightlifting competition in Launceston on 11 July while experienced senior members are now building towards the Australian Senior Championships  in Melbourne in late August. Meanwhile Camilla Fogagnolo has a date with destiny and will represent Australia in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on 5 July, in the Pacific Games and Oceania Senior Championships.

There are competitions for all ages and all experience levels and the first official competition that will take place at WAT is the Tasmania Qualifying Round for the Eleiko AWF Club Challenge on 5 August. All clubs in Tasmania are invited to participate in this competition. Essentially clubs can enter male and female teams of 3 athletes, at junior and senior level.