Carrying our nation's hopes

FAR from the public eye, most afternoons at Toowoomba State High School gym you can find five young athletes putting Toowoomba on the Australian sporting map.

But these athletes aren’t the typical batch of rugby league prodigies the Garden City is known for producing.

No, these athletes are committed to a sport which only registers with the public once every four years when the Olympic Games rolls around – weightlifting.

Notoriety, however, isn’t what drives these five lifters. They are simply looking to reach their potential in a sport which attracts competitors from throughout the world.

And Shane Wagner, David Hockins, Bianca Sheppard, Kara Stuart and Jake Ratcliffe will take on some of the world’s best lifters when they represent Australia at the Oceania Championships in just over two weeks time.

Under the watchful eye of coach Greg Hobl, the five athletes have lifted Toowoomba right to the top of the Australian rankings, placing second at the National Club Weightlifting Championships in Brisbane earlier this month.

At that competition the five lifters also qualified to compete for Australia in Darwin against the best weightlifting talent from Pacific countries like New Zealand and Fiji.

Hobl, who was also selected as Australia’s head junior coach, said the Pacific nations represented a good test for his charges.

“They’re going to have big teams,” Hobl said. “The Oceania countries are very competitive and suited to weightlifting so they’re going to provide great competition.”

Wagner and Hockins will make their Australian debuts at the championships. Sheppard, Stuart and Ratcliffe have all previously represented Australia at the annual tournament.

Competing in the under 17 62kg youth category, Wagner, 15, may be giving away almost two years’ experience to the other competitors but that hasn’t stopped him from making an impact.

Stuart, 16, competes in the 53kg youth category where she boasts a personal best in the snatch of 43kg and 56kg in the clean and jerk.

Hockins and Sheppard will both compete in the youth under 20s category, Sheppard in the 58kg category where she is considered a genuine medal chance, and Hockins in the 56kg category.

But Hobl expects Ratcliffe to make the biggest impact of the Toowoomba competitors in the under 17 77kg classification.

“He’s been going fantastic,” Hobl said. “He is the top qualifier out of his class. Jake has the world at his feet, he can go places.”

No matter how his charges perform at the Oceania Games, Hobl says this is only the start of their international careers.

“Toowoomba has had people make the national team before, but never this many,” Hobl said.

“The lifters train about four times a week which is a big commitment but there are also great rewards.”