NAPPER LIFTS THE BAR ON GAMES NOMINATION
PINT-SIZED weightlifter Tegan Napper has won the women’s 53kg division at the Australian Commonwealth Games trials to put herself in the box seat for the 2018 Gold Coast Games.
Napper, who can clean and jerk nearly double her body weight, totalled 172kg in Sydney yesterday to beat Glasgow 2014 teammate Erika Yamasaki (156kg). Napper placed fourth in the 48kg division in Glasgow and, if given the chance, will look to go one better four years later.
Tia-Clair Toomey, Australia’s only female weightlifter at last year’s Rio Olympics, was a late withdrawal through injury.
But the 24-year-old Queenslander, who in August was crowned the fittest woman in the world, still leads the 58kg category and is set for nomination. Toomey’s absence left Parisa Haeri (168kg) as the sole competitor in the weight class.
The Australian Weightlifting Federation will look at lifters’ best totals at officially-sanctioned events throughout this year before submitting a list to Commonwealth Games Australia for final consideration.
In the men’s, two-time Olympian and Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Damon Kelly is still to contest the more than 105kg division, while Delhi champion and Glasgow silver medallist Simplice Ribouem will compete in the 94kg. Australia hopes to qualify 16 athletes for April’s Games.