Eileen Cikamatana needed to watch for her Olympic debut and now she plans to make it rely.
The Fijian-born star will be part of Jacqueline Nichele and Kyle Bruce in Australia’s weightlifting staff for Paris.
All are 24 and all will likely be at their first Olympics, with the most important give attention to Cikamatana.
She has gained gold on the final two Commonwealth Video games and is an enormous likelihood to finish Australia’s medal drought within the sport on the Olympics.
The final podium was Stefan Botev’s tremendous heavyweight bronze on the 1996 Atlanta Video games and the one gold was Dean Lukin in the identical class 40 years in the past, at Los Angeles.
“That’s the one factor we’re going for – we’re not going there simply to be one other participant. It’s to be a podium finisher, to be the highest of the highest, and be the very best we may be,” Cikamatana stated at Sunday’s staff announcement.
“It feels actual now – I wasn’t certain earlier than, as a result of it was qualifying and we would have liked to listen to it from the AOC, the affirmation.
“I’m fairly pumped now … it’s going to be intense and we’re going to do it.”
Cikamatana gained gold on the 2018 Commonwealth Video games for Fiji, then switched to Australia due to a dispute with the nationwide weightlifing federation.
The change of nations meant she couldn’t compete on the Tokyo Olympics.
Cikamatana has additionally overcome a 2021 leg harm that disrupted her profession for 2 years.
Below the steerage of coach Paul Coffa and his spouse Lilly, Cikamatana has caught it out to succeed in the Olympics as a severe medal prospect.
“It feels unreal, as a result of as a child I by no means dreamed of (going) far in life, with what I’ve achieved to date,” she stated.
“While you develop up within the village (in Fiji) it’s easy and enjoyable, you don’t have anything out of the field.
“However standing right here at this time, I can’t say a lot as a result of it’s a sense I can’t even describe in phrases.
“I’d congratulate the little self, the little Eileen, again within the day for not giving up when it bought onerous, however simply saved going irrespective of the challenges.”
Cikamatana thanked the Coffas for his or her affect on her profession.
“It’s all due to my coach and supervisor for making it attainable – with out them believing in me, it might be unattainable,” she stated.
Cikamatana and Bruce are competing this weekend on the Oceania elite worldwide match in Melbourne, the place the Paris staff was introduced.
Cikamatana will contest the 81kg class.
Bruce, a silver medallist on the Birmingham Commonwealth Video games, is within the 89kg class and Nichele will carry within the 71kg class solely 5 years after taking on the game.
© AAP
