Hams hits hurdle in quest for a medal
ANDREA Hams’ transition from hurdling to weightlifting has resulted in a meritorious sixth-placed finish in the women’s 69kg division.
A bronze medallist in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2010 New Delhi Games, the New Zealander snatched an impressive 95kg at Carrara yesterday but failed to improve her first clean and jerk effort of 109kg, finishing with a combined 204kg.
The gold went to India’s Punam Yadav with a whopping 222kg.
Hams, now based on the Gold Coast and working across the road from the athletes’ village, said the Games weightlifting experience was significantly different to that of track.
She was formerly a training partner to Gold Coast star Sally Pearson, who was ruled out of these Games with injury but won 100m hurdles gold in 2010.
“We run rounds (in hurdles) so we have the heats first to settle into it and celebrating the final together was quite different in that regard,” the 36year-old said.
“You are out there with seven other girls, whereas on the platform it’s really just you.”
Chasing a medal spot, Hams (nee Miller) nailed her first clean and jerk, only to fail at 114kg and 115kg by losing control of the weights in the clean.
She admitted the initial movements of the lift remained a work in progress.
“I come from a sprinting background so I’m quite powerful – I can jerk about 10kg more than I can clean, actually, so usually when I stand I’m OK,” Hams said.