Olympics on the mind of rising Albany weightlifter Gladis Markey after impressive under-15 national crown

The Olympic dream is on the mind of a budding Albany weightlifter after a meteoric rise that’s culminated in a national junior crown just four months after starting the sport. Gladis Markey announced herself to the national weightlifting world when she snatched the under-15 title at the Australian Weightlifting Federation Youth Championships in Hobart on October 18-20. Competing in the over-81kg weight class, Markey lifted a jaw-dropping combined total of 101kg in her snatch (40kg) and clean and jerk (61kg) lifts to clinch the gong ahead of her ACT rival Keely Muir (93kg combined lift) in second. Having started weightlifting in April this year, the 14-year-old has always had an appreciation for the sport which stemmed from watching the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. “I just kind of saw it on the 2020 Olympics and thought I’ll do that but there’s not too many places in Albany to do it,” Markey said. “I put it off for a bit and then this year I wanted to do it so I emailed two coaches in Perth from Weightlifting WA. “Now, I just go through them, and I train up there every second weekend. “I’ll go for nationals next year, and then maybe one day in the Olympics.” Despite her lack of experience Markey, who trains at Albany’s Bodycare gym, held high aspirations for herself while admitting that she still had much to improve on. “I expected to win but I could have done better in the snatches, I wasn’t really happy with them, but I did well in the clean and jerks,” she said. “I guess I’m alright at the sport, but there’s lots of improvement for myself. “I need to improve my technique. The technique is really hard to get perfect, but once I get that perfect, I’ll be good. “I really love it and everyone I train with is really lovely. “Everyone there is really nice and I just think it’s a really good sport to get into.” Markey is also a part of the Great Southern Academy of Sport alongside her older sister Mabel, who is a talented footballer.