Disney get any better for big Zach
Zach Courtney is preparing for a trip abroad that will no doubt thrust him on a rollercoaster ride while surrounded by faces he has grown up idolising.
Then in April he’ll jet off to Australia for his Commonwealth Games debut.
One of four weightlifters to make Team Scotland, Courtney will return to the Gold Coast seven months on from sel f - funding a Commonwealth Championships trip that turned into a “sham”.
But before setting out to show the crowd Down Under his true potential, the 23-year-old is taking mum Amanda to see Mickey Mouse and Goofy as they have done every year since he was seven.
Asked about his plans for the winter he said: “I think I’m going to take mum to Disneyland Paris for Christmas.
“She is the biggest Disney nut you’ve ever met. We go to Disney World every year so I’m going to Florida next August.
“Our house is full of Disney stuff. It has paintings, al l the globes and wee mugs – it’s horrendous. I don’t know
about my mum moving one of the globes out of the way for a medal!”
The chance to win one seemed a distant prospect for the Dalkeith ace only this time last year though.
He said: “I decided to go down a weight class then I hurt my back on a night out being drunk – ridiculous. I fell down the stairs in a pub in Edinburgh.
“That was August last year but in December I couldn’t even do a bodyweight squat it was that bad.
“I got my Commonwealth total in July so feel like I’ve had good progress but there is a lot more to come.”
A jet-lagged Courtney didn’t get the chance to show that on his last Gold Coast visit after being kept waiting at the venue for four hours before lifting.
But he believes he can land a top-five f inish this time as he added: “I self-funded it – the trip cost £2500 – went all the way over there, spent three months prioritising training over my university degree then found out I’m lifting at 11 o’clock.
“It’s definitely good preparation in terms of mental toughness but I felt like I could have been higher on the Commonwealth ranking.”