Youth World Championships 2022

On 9 June 2022, the Australian team met in Sydney and travelled to Leon, Mexico for the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Youth World Championships. When in Mexico, I had the chance to train with many other athletes from different countries in a training hall. It was inspiring to meet and train alongside youth athletes from all over the world.  In total there were 195 athletes from 39 different nations, competing over the week. During that week as a united team, we watched and cheered each Australian athlete in their session as well as the other athletes.

On June 16, I competed in the Woman’s 64kg class group B, successfully completing all six of my lifts with a 67kg snatch and 94kg clean and jerk. In my session I finished fourth in the snatch and second in the clean and jerk, achieving competition personal bests and beating my previous Victorian records.

It was such an honour representing Australia in weightlifting. I am very grateful to all my coaches and people who encouraged and helped me prepare for this competition. 

• Snatch: The lifter lifts the bar as high as possible with accelerating speed then pulls themselves under it in a squat position, with arms overhead and wide grip, stands up out of squat until the buzzer sounds, sometimes the lift movement can take up to 10 seconds to complete and is a single lift movement.
• Clean and jerk: the lifter pulls the bar as high as possible to chest while standing up and drops into a squat, then stands up, pauses regains strength in legs then drives the bar overhead using leg force lands in split stance until weight is stable, then lifter stands up and holds bar overhead until buzzer sounds, 2 lift movement.

Layla B

Year 11 Student