While many of us are enjoying a break over Easter, seven Australian athletes will be focussing on what for some of them will be the biggest event of their weightlifting career so far. The 2024 IWF World Cup is the final qualification event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and it kicks off in Phuket Thailand on March 31^st, Easter Sunday.

The Australian contingent includes athletes Brenna Kean, Kiana Elliott, Jacqueline Nichele, Sarah Cochrane, Eileen Cikamatana, Kyle Bruce and Oliver Saxton. These are the Australian lifters who are eligible for Olympic qualification and the outcome of the IWF World Cup will decide which of them succeeds in winning a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Coaches Vanessa Kerr and Ivan Katz have been appointed by the AWF as the Team Support Personnel for this event and many of the athletes’ own coaches have chosen to attend at their own expense, under the new AWF Personal Coach guidelines.

Brenna Kean will compete in the 49kg category at the World Cup. When Brenna proposed her plan to the AWF High Performance Commission, their initial reaction was one of surprise and more than a little concern. Brenna has never competed at such a low bodyweight, but she considered this move to be her best shot at making it to the Olympic Games. The AWF made it clear that Brenna’s health and wellbeing must not be compromised in a bid for Olympic qualification and Brenna has enlisted the support of medical professionals to keep a close watch and guide her safely along this path. Making weight isn’t Brenna’s only challenge, of course. In Phuket, she must Total at least 171kg and defeat two rivals for the Continental Qualification slot. Madagascar’s Rosina Randafiarison and Loa Dika Toua from PNG stand in her way. Brenna competes on Monday April 1^st at 5:30pm AEDT.

Kiana Elliott will go head-to-head with Mathlynn Sasser (MHL) to decide once and for all who will be Oceania’s number one lifter in the 59kg category Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR). Sasser currently holds the higher ranking position and she beat Elliott at the Pacific Games in Honiara last November. The tables were turned however three months later in Auckland at the Oceania Championships where Kiana took the championship title by 1kg. Kiana’s mission in Phuket is to Total at least 215kg and beat Mathlynn Sasser. Rafiatu Lawal of Nigeria currently holds 7th place in the 59kg OQR and will hopefully maintain a Top 10 position at the end of the competition, leaving the Continental quota place open for an Oceania athlete. Kiana competes on Wednesday April 3^rd at 5:30pm AEDT.

Two Australians will be vying for the Continental Qualification slot in the 71kg category. Jacqueline Nichele goes into the World Cup with the advantage of leading in the Continental Qualification stakes on a 213kg Total. Her task in Thailand is to withstand Sarah Cochrane’s challenge and maintain the highest ranking position. Sarah must Total at least 214kg and finish ahead of Jacqueline in the World Cup competition. Although the two Aussies are each other’s closest rivals, they will need to keep a close eye on Maximina Uepa of Nauru and New Zealand’s Olivia Selemaia. Jacqueline and Sarah lift on Saturday April 6^th at 3:00pm AEDT.

Eileen Cikamatana is currently ranked 5^th in the 81kg category and is assured of Olympic qualification. Nonetheless, it’s unlikely that Eileen would ever just go through the motions. She’ll be hitting the World Cup platform with all the energy and power that we’ve come to expect from this incredible athlete, aiming to post a Total that will be worthy of an Olympic medallist come August 10^th in Paris. Eileen competes on Tuesday April 9^th at 7:00pm AEST.

There’s very little chance of any continent other than Oceania finishing outside of the Top 10 in the men’s 89kg category OQR, so we should once again see two Australians battling it out for Olympic qualification. Kyle Bruce is the highest ranked Oceania athlete on a Total of 334kg. Oliver Saxton is hot on his heals and both lifters have shown that they’re capable of big things. Oliver’s competition session in Phuket precedes Kyle’s, so Kyle will have the advantage of knowing Oliver’s result before he starts. Oliver needs to Total at least 335kg but no doubt he’ll be striving for more . They compete on Friday April 5^th. Oliver’s competition starts at 6:30pm AEDT and Kyle is on at 8:30pm AEDT.

All of the athletes and appointed coaches have been fully funded to the IWF World Cup by a special grant provided by the Australian Government in response to a request made by the Australian Olympic Committee for more assistance for sports dealing with the costs of Olympic qualification. The AWF is grateful to the Australian Olympic Committee for their advocacy and acknowledges the funding support provided to Australian Weightlifters and Team Support Personnel by the Australian Government through the Australian Institute of Sport.

The event will be live streamed on the IWF Facebook: facebook.com/iwfnet

Australian Lifters’ Competition Times

 * Daylight Saving ends on 7^th April