Impressive work-out for ’lifter

Press, 5 June 1978, Page 14

Impressive work-out for ’lifter

George Newton had an impressive work-out for the Edmonton Commonwealth Games when he lifted a total of 235 kg in the South Island Olympic weight-lifting championships at Christchurch on Saturday. The ” Canterbury lifter snatched 105 kg at his first attempt and then clean and jerked 130 kg after an initial failure when his concentration wavered. Newton, three times a gold medallist for England in the Commonwealth Games, said later that the lifts were planned totals and he is very happy with his progress. “Today was only a light work-out and it’s beautiful.” He said that his total would “put him in the medals” at the Games and another 7.5 kg would probably be enough to win him a gold. Interestingly, Newton attributed his early failure with the jerk, to the high ■ ceiling at the Christchurch Y.M.C.A. He normally focuses on a certain point when he has the weight aloft but was unable to find one on this occasion and did i not hold on.

“I train under a low ceiling and I lift like a lunatic when I compete in a venue with one,” Newton said. His lift was 7.5 kg more than that he achieved to win the feather-weight division

• at the provincial champion- : ships two months ago. He i lifted as a light-weight on 1 Saturday but will represenl 1 New Zealand at Edmonton - as a feather-weight. i Among the other lifters tc impress at the tournamenl r was one of Newton’s prot teges, Michael McConnell 1 who is only 16 years of agt I but improving rapidly. Me - Connell totalled 157.5 kg 12.5 kg more than hi 1 achieved at the Canterbury 3 championships. 1 Another Cantabrian, Pau 3 Doreen, lifted well bui / caused a few misgivings ai . one stage when he totterec t off the platform towards ths ’ referee, with the 120 kg bal 1 anced perilously aloft. For » tunately, Doreen (a light i the weight a metre awaj - from the referee and at the i next attempt he got the weight up and down without - so much fuss. j Frank Ah Kuoi recordec i the fine total of 257 kg to wir i the middle heavy-weighl / division. t Twenty-one lifters took t part in the contest and al--1 though Canterbury took the 1 Teams Cup comfortably enough, outsiders had wins

in the bantam-weight (Phillip Chappell, Nelson), middle-weight (Mike Clifford, Marlborough) and light heavy-weight (Peter Appleby, Invercargill) divisions. Results (Canterbury names unless stated), with the weights

. for the snatch, clean and jerk, M and totals were:— ' Bantam-weight.—P. Chappell 1 (Nelson), 72.5 kg, 95kg. 167.5, 1. t Feather-weight.—M. McConnell, , 65, 92.5, 157.5, 1: A. De Croos 1 (Invercargill), 67.5, 90, 157.5, 2 B. Savage (Timarui, 62.5, 65, ) 127.5. 3.

, Light-weight.—G. Newton, 105, 130, 235, 1; P. Doreen, 95, 120. 1 215. 2. Middle-weight. — M. Clifford , (Marlborough), 95, 120, 2)5. 1: s U. Su’a, 95, 120, 215, 2; J. Callaghan (Marlborough), 90, 122.5 i, 212.5, 3. Light heavy-weight. — F

5, Appleby (Invercargill), 110, 145, 0, 255. 1. Middle heavy-weight.—F. Ab d Kuoi, 112, 145, 257, 1; S. Auimatg! I; 100, 125, 225, 2. 8- Heavy-weight.—B. Ing, 102.5, 5. 125 . 227.5. 1. 110 kg class.—A. Spartacus, 110, ? 147 - 5 - 257 - 5 - •