After becoming the first Australia woman to lift double her body weight you’d be forgiven for thinking Erika Ropati-Frost might have taken a couple of days off.
But you’d be wrong, with the Queenslander not stopping since she lifted 106kg in the 53kg clean and jerk at Nationals in August.
The Darwin-born athlete said she can’t afford to take her foot off the pedal, with competition heating up for what is expected to be Australia’s one female weightlifting spot at Rio 2016.
“It has been an incredible year so far, but with the Olympics just around the corner, there will be very little time to rest,” Ropati-Frost said.
“I don’t want to risk having too much rest time with such a competitive group of girls all with the same Olympic dream next year.
“Trying to train full-time and work full-time means a lot of sacrifice. It’s more like trying to keep my head above water, just doing what I have to do. I need to work to support my husband and I financially, so to stop work or go part-time really isn’t an option. To have such big dreams and goals also means I need to train hard and on a regular basis.”
It’s been a year full of goals met, after the three-time Commonwealth Games competitor claimed two gold medals over long-time rival Papua New Guinea’s Dika Toua at the Pacific Games in June.
She now has the chance to add to her recent success after being named in next month’s World Championships team.
Australia will send seven female athletes to the event in Houston, Texas. The competition will be the first chance for the women to post an Olympic qualifying total to represent their country at Rio.
With Australia yet to secure a Rio 2016 weightlifting quota spot, Australian Weightlifting Federation High Performance Coordinator Jacqui White said the World Championships will be a good indicator of how the athletes are improving ahead of next May’s Oceania competition where Australia will have its best chance of claiming a Games place.
“For us to secure an Olympic spot at the World Championships will be a really tough challenge. It’s a difficult task because it’s worked out over two years and we’re about 10 countries behind at the moment.
“But we’ll then look to the Oceania event next year in Fiji and aim to secure one spot there.
“For the girls in Houston the competition is all about trying to post a result which might be enough to get them on the Games Team, by posting the best female Australian result.”
For the pint-sized Ropati-Frost, the USA trip will cap off a huge 12 months.
“This year’s World Championships is definitely going to be the highlight of the year, as the Worlds before the Olympic year is always the biggest.”
“I have totally been on the edge of my seat waiting for this team announcement. There were a number of amazing lifters trying to make this team and you have to be in the top seven lifters in Australia to make it.
“It is also a really important opportunity to get our foot in the door to qualifying for the Olympics next year. So it was just so exciting to hear that I would be a part of this team when the official list was posted.”
Ropati-Frost is aiming to repeat her Nationals performance in Houston.
“At the recent National Championships I did a life time personal best with a 188kg total. If I can do this again it really puts me in good contention as we go through this qualifying process.”
She said travelling and training with the team will provide a boost for all the athletes.
“I cannot wait to get together with these girls. It is not often that we get together throughout the year and we all come from different clubs and states, so to be able to train with the best lifters in Australia will really be the best atmosphere and company to have.”
“I always find that after I go home from these trips, I am always in the best mind set to keep training hard and pushing myself to the next level. It’s the best motivator!”
Ropati-Frost said she’s been inspired after watching the recent Commonwealth Championships in India where Australia was represented by a team of seven men, including London 2012 Olympian Damon Kelly.
“The men did a fantastic job in India. It’s so tough at this level and they were very competitive with the other nations over there. They are still a young team also, so many of them we will get to see grow as athletes over the coming years.
“Damon really brought it home for Australia with his silver. He is coming back in fine form and is clearly right on track to be on next year’s Olympic team.”
She also believes she’s on the right track to fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I won’t know for sure until the end of the qualifying period which is the 28th of May 2016. So until then, I will be keeping my head down and keep training hard to reach my biggest goal and dream… the Australian team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
Courtesy of: Olympics Australia