WEIGHTLIFTING: For an Olympic discipline still fighting its way to a bigger share of Australia’s competitive sporting landscape, weightlifting has the equivalent of two gold medals in Damon Kelly and Seen Lee.
WEIGHTLIFTING: For an Olympic discipline still fighting its way to a bigger share of Australia’s competitive sporting landscape, weightlifting has the equivalent of two gold medals in Damon Kelly and Seen Lee.
The duo were clinical in their respective performances in the men’s +105kg and women’s -63kg divisions, with Kelly finishing 16th and Lee one better in seventh.
But it’s the passion, drive and ambition of the two which shows the future of the sport is in good hands as the focus now turns to Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Kelly, who following his event admitted a third-straight Olympics was in his mind, said he planned to work tirelessly to raise the sport’s profile to a level it deserves, as a coach or competitor.
Recently employed as Queensland Weightlifting Association’s recruitment and development officer and with a baby on the way, the 28 year-old was prepared for life to change a little.
When the time does come to hang the barbell in the rack, a coaching career beckons.
“Weightlifting is not in the AIS or the QAS so there’s definitely not a lot of sports utilising our expertise and knowledge in strength and power training,” Kelly said.
“Weightlifting is a pure sport – all you do is weights, so there’s a place there for specialised coaching.”
Lee, meanwhile, looked on top of the world following her event at the ExCeL Centre, declaring the experience “absolutely brilliant”.
“I love the sport,” the 29 year-old said.
“Why stop now? I can learn so much off the people I lifted against, I will just work on getting stronger and stronger.”
Lee took a gamble by stepping up a weight division in the days prior to competition, but it paid off in spades when she out-gunned her nearest rivals in the Group A side of the -63kg draw to achieve a higher placing than if had she competed in her original 58kg division.
Doug MacDougall in London
Olympics.com.au