Weightlifting

My name is Katelyn ODonovan and I am a Fourth Year Student. I started Olympic Weightlifting  just about a year ago.  My Dad is very involved in Crossfit and Olympic Weightlifting and often competes .He is the person who introduced me to this sport.I first started during lockdown. I started off lifting dumbbells and doing crossfit workouts in my garage. 

When lockdown finished I started the teen weightlifting classes in Howling Heart Fitness, and suddenly everything fell into place. I quickly learned the correct technique from the amazing coaches and really fell in love with the sport. One class a week then turned into three and I slowly saw myself improve and the weight increase. 

My first trip out was a lifting league in Cork weightlifting club. I was on a team with three other people from Howling Heart and had the best day. Everyone was so supportive and helpful. My first competition was the Cork Open which took place in October. The event was spread over a weekend. I was on Saturday with many other members from my gym. I was very nervous before getting on the platform seeing all the other athletes who were much more experienced but thank God for my great coaches Denis, Eithne and Kieran for guiding and being so supportive , during the warm up, and during the actual competition. 

There are two different lifts in Olympic Weightlifting : the snatch and the clean and jerk. I like both but I think I prefer the clean and jerk as I tend to find it a bit easier.  Overall olympic weightlifting is such a great sport.There are so many role models to look up to in this sport, one of mine being my coach Eithne Harte, who is a past pupil of Sacred Heart. 

Everyone involved is so nice it creates such a lovely atmosphere. I can’t wait to keep improving, and hopefully competing more.