If you don’t know Tracey Lambrechs name yet, you probably will soon. The Bay’s local is off to Rio this month for the Olympic Games where she will represent New Zealand in weightlifting. Tracey, who is coached by Adam Storey at the AUT Millennium in Mairangi Bay, moved to New Zealand from South Africa when she was 13 and went to high school on the Shore. She played a lot of sports growing up including netball before ultimately settling on weightlifting. Rio will be her first Olympics but she’s no stranger to the podium, having won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Tracey took the time before she departed for Rio to answer some questions for Channel’s Courtney Bennett about her sport and the road to Rio.
COURTNEY BENNETT: What does it take to represent New Zealand in Weightlifting?
TRACEY LAMBRECHS: A lot of hard work, determination, discipline, love and enjoyment of the sport.
CB: How did you get into the sport?
TL: It was supposed to be extra strength work to assist me in my athletics (shot put and hammer) but weightlifting stuck!
CB: How have you been preparing for the Olympics; what sort of training do you do?
TL: Training hasn’t really changed from what I was doing before. A lot of snatches and clean and jerks (competition lifts) with squats and supplementary exercise assisting areas where we might feel I’m a little weak.
CB: What were the emotions like when you found out that you were going to the Olympics?
TL: Pure happiness and relief... followed by a sense of pride.
CB: What’s your goal for the Olympics?
TL: To have my best ever competition and break my New Zealand records.
CB: What’s the hardest part about weightlifting?
TL: Training in the winter, training through the cold and the healthy pain.
CB: What does it take to be a champion in your sport?
TL: It takes an athlete willing to work hard and commit to the sport. It needs to be priority.
CB: What are you most looking forward to about the Olympics?
TL: The village and seeing all the other world class athletes.
CB: What’s the best part about representing your country?
TL: Knowing that people are proud of me and this amazing little country.
CB: What do you do in your spare time?
TL: If I don’t have training I try to work or I tend to nap and recover, or watch a movie. On the weekends I try to spend some time with my nieces Michelle and Ashleigh.
CB: In 10 years time, I’ll be…
TL: Overseas, with a dream job and a travel list half ticked off.
Channel Magazine: Issuu 68 August 2016
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