Weightlifting: Two-time Olympian Damon Kelly and Commonwealth Games medalists Francois Etoundi and Simplice Ribouem will lead a 15-strong Australian weightlifting team to compete at the Commonwealth Championships in India next month.
The event will be a valuable warm-up tournament ahead of Rio Olympic qualifications next year.
Kelly, who lifted a 361kg total in the super heavyweight at last weekend’s Australian championships, is hoping to lift an extra 10kg in Pune, to set himself up for a third Olympics.
With Australia likely to qualify no more than one male lifter for Rio, competition is expected to be between Kelly, Etoundi and Ribouem.
Ribouem won a gold medal in the 94kg class at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a silver in Glasgow last year, while Etoundi took bronze in the 77kg class in Glasgow.
The Commonwealth Championships will also include youth and junior competitions.
Only one female lifter, teenager Charrae Myers, will make the trip, with selectors preferring to rest Australia’s top competitors ahead of the World Championships in Houston.
The full Australian team for Pune is;
Senior Men
69kg Matthew Munns WA
77kg Francois Etoundi VIC
77kg Frank Elliott SA
85kg Benjamin Shaw QLD
94kg Simplice Ribouem VIC
105kg Christopher Ciancio VIC
105kg Zac Grgurevic VIC
+105kg Damon Kelly QLD
Junior Men
69kg James Norman QLD
69kg Aydan McMahon NSW
77kg Leo Lark QLD
77kg Ryley Porter QLD
94kg Ridge Barredo NSW
Youth Men
+94kg Marcus Lewis QLD
Youth Women
58kg Charrae Myers TAS
ROSS SOLLY FOR WEIGHTLIFTING AUSTRALIA
