From Stuff.co.nz
Not many 15-year-olds can hoist more than their own bodyweight above their head.
But New Zealand under-69kg weightlifter Stephanie McKenzie is no ordinary teenager. Stephanie’s best lifts include 71kg in the snatch, which sees the lifter raise the bar from the floor towards the ceiling all in one motion. And she’s cleared 75kg in the clean and jerk, where the lifter rests the bar on their collarbone before the final push to get the bar above their head.
The Lynfield College student took up the sport a year ago as part of a training regime for her other love, track cycling, where she represents Auckland in 200m and 500m sprints. But she showed such a talent for weightlifting that it’s now a major part of her life.
Last September Stephanie took out top female for her age and weight class at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Weightlifting Championships. And she repeated the feat at the Australian Age Group Championships in Melbourne last October. At the Australia versus New Zealand Junior Weightlifting tournament in December she placed third despite being up against competitors up to five years her senior.
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