It wasn’t an easy road to the Games for the Aussie, who became the second Indigenous Australian to compete for the green and gold Olympic weightling history. 

The Campbelltown local’s Tokyo dreams were almost shattered when at a training camp in March of 2021 his middle finger was crushed in a training accident.  

But true to form, Wakeling didn’t let that get in his way. 

“I've had to overcome a lot in the last 12 months from the extension of our qualification process. I've had a lot of injuries along the way,” Wakeling said. 

“So to get the lifts that I did today, I'm very happy.” 

On Wednesday, Wakeling did his country proud as he put up six consecutive lifts without fault. The Aussie lifted 125kg in his snatch and 166kg in the clean and jerk for a total score of 291kg. 

Through every single one of his lifts Wakeling was flanked by his teammates and coaches cheering him on every step of the way. 

This group of weightlifters have formed a special bond becoming the largest team in the sport since the iconic Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. 

“In terms of representing weightlifting, it's special for us all to be together doing this,” Wakeling said. 

Although Wakeling came up short of the podium in Tokyo, there is no stopping the 27-year-old as he continues his path to greatness. 

Australia now has a four-day break in weightlifting competition before returning to the Forum on Monday, July 2 with the Women’s +87kg class. 

Matthew Barnard