Sports Stars of Tomorrow

Caroline King | Friday, March 9, 2007 5:00

New Zealand's weightlifting triumphs at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch are now the stuff of legend.

However, one of the sport's keenest personalities, 1994 Commonwealth Games representative Lee Attrill, is out to bring a new generation of talented young lifters to the fore.

Attrill has established Gravity Gym for Weightlifting Canterbury in Phillipstown as a centre for Olympic lifting and pre-season power training for footie teams and athletes. As a young lifter Attrill was encouraged into lifting and trained by one of the '74 heroes, Graham May, who looked over the new Gravity facilities just before his recent death.

Weightlifting Canterbury has fostered the sport at several schools, and three boys who became interested through this programme will now compete at the Australian schoolboy championships in Sydney on April 20 and 21.

Sean Gallagher and Vester Villalon, both 15-year-olds from St Bede's College, will compete in the 77 and 56kg classes respectively. St Bede's produced '74 middleweight gold winner Tony Ebert.

Gallagher has personal bests of 90kg for the clean and jerk, 70kg for the snatch, and 160kg total. Villalon's PBs are 72kg (clean and jerk), 57kg (snatch), and 129kg (total).

Seventeen-year-old Richard Gallagher, who has just left St Bede's, will also compete, in the 94kg class. His bests are 110kg (clean and jerk), 85kg (snatch), and 195kg (total).

The trio have been lifting only a year or so, but show a lot of promise, says Attrill.

Another former Commonwealth Games representative, George Newton, is also helping the young lifters at the gym.

While Attrill's dream is to see New Zealand lifters among the medals in international competition again, the new gym also offers pre-season power training for rugby, league, and soccer teams and for athletes.

Lifting was ideal for players to prepare for explosive impact sports, he pointed out.