Commonwealth Games is their target
The countdown for Commonwealth Games qualifications is underway for weightlifters Joe Pomelile, Aisake Tuitupou and Bailey Rogers.
The three leading lights of the Papatoetoe Olympic Weightlifting Club at Kolmar, Hunters Corner, have just over two weeks to wrap up preparations for the Australia Open which starts in Melbourne on March 17.
The Open is an International Weightlifting Federation ( IWF) sanctioned event and will be their first shot at qualifying for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Each must be in the top six of the Federation’s rankings and be the highest ranked New Zealander when selections come around.
The two others chances of qualifying are New Zealand’s North Island Championships, which Kolmar will host on June 10 and 11 and the Commonwealth Championships on Gold Coast, Australia in early September.
Head coach Simon Kent says the trio are in excellent physical and mental shape and excited about the prospect of competing against the best lifters from the Oceania region.
‘‘Each has an extremely tough challenge ahead. Only eight men and eight women can qualify for the Commonwealth Games and only one athlete from New Zealand can be selected in each weight class. The intensity is building with the competition drawing near.
‘‘However, it’s important athletes enjoy the journey and not get fixated on the end result,’’ he says.
Kent, once Auckland Rugby’s strength and conditioning coach for Auckland Rugby, says Pomelile, Rogers and Tuitupou, a former Papatoetoe High School student who’ll be competing in his first international event, says the focus has been on honing tech- nique.
‘‘Good technique is paramount to executing the lifts.
Pomelile, a two time national champion in the 105kg division has a competition best of 316 kg. He lifted 138kg in the snatch and 178kg in the clean and jerk.
Tuitupo, who’s in the over 105kg weight class, has best competition lifted 335kg but has done 348kg in the gym. He lifted 145kg in the snatch and 193kg in the clean and jerk.
Bailey, New Zealand’s reigning 75kg champion, has a competition best of 194kg. She snatched 86kg and clean and jerked 108kg.