HB academy: Lifter muscles into NZ line up

WEIGHT LIFTED: Schoolgirl Annah McPherson has made a rapid rise through the ranks in her code. PHOTO/FILE

Just six months after taking up the sport, Havelock North High pupil Annah McPherson is already a New Zealand-calibre weightlifter.

The 17-year-old has just been selected for the Oceania weightlifting championship to be held in Suva in May.

McPherson is still a relative novice, having only started focusing on weightlifting six months ago.

"I started at a gym training with a friend who got me into it. It's a very social thing."

After dabbling in a bit of crossfit she signed on to Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand in a bid to qualify for future games.

It wasn't long before she was asked to join the New Zealand team.

"A few weeks later the guy called me up and asked me if I was interested," McPherson explained.

There wasn't a moment of doubt before her response.

"I was like yeah, I'm pretty keen."

The call was a dream come true for McPherson.

"It's pretty cool to represent New Zealand."

Not even a bout of adrenal fatigue, which kept her out of training for five weeks, could stop her monumental rise.

"I was at my peak before I got sick but I spent those five weeks wisely planning and getting back to strength."

She loves seeing the constant progress.

"You can always improve."

McPherson's clean-and-snatch personal best is 83kg. She squats 110kg and can dead lift 130kg.

An athletic life means intelligent dieting.

"I eat a lot of food. Mum loves to bake and there is heaps of brioche at work so I have my treats but I do balance that with a pretty clean diet."

Between training, homework and her day job at Havelock cafe Minor, the young gun is nurturing Olympic gold ambitions.

"I want to go to the the Commonwealth Games and then the Olympics would be nice.

"I just have to be careful not to burn out."

McPherson is among a new crop of athletes who have been identified as potential world-class performers and have been invited to join the athlete development programme Sport Hawke's Bay runs.

The quality of athletes in this year's intake for the Spark Hawke's Bay Athlete Development Programme has blown away Sport HB talent development manager Marcus Agnew.

"Not only are there a number of impressive athletes, the results that continue to be achieved from young people in our region is something we should all be proud of," Agnew said.

KICK START: Taekwondo black belt Robby Pruckmuller is making giant strides in his sport and is in Sport HB's athlete development programme. PHOTO/FILE

He thanked Sir Graeme Avery, the HB Regional Sports Park and Eastern Institute of Technology for their support.

Sport HB, the regional sport performance hub, helps athletes from myriad sports compete on the provincial, national and international stage.

"As more support is generated to help develop the athletes, it is hoped further one-on-one support can be provided, including specialist physical conditioning."

That support allows athletes to attend five workshops covering a range of topics in the quest to achieve at the highest possible level.

Workshops include physical conditioning, nutrition, performance planning, performance psychology and athlete life.

"In time we hope to see more Hawke's Bay athletes achieving on the national and international stage, bringing pride and inspiration to their communities," Agnew said.

Robby Pruckmuller is an example of someone who will benefit from it.

The 15-year-old taekwondo black belt didn't have a choice when he took up the sport at age 5.

"My mum owned a club so I was pretty much forced to do it," he said.

However, Pruckmuller soon took a liking to the physical and mental aspects and by 9 had graduated to the highest level attainable.

"I love the technical side of it and how I get to hit people."

His fighting has always been sanctioned except one time when an older boy tried to steal his bike.

"I didn't hit him back but was able to get him to the ground and get away with my bike."

The Hastings Boys' High School student is is ranked No1 in the country for his age group. Pruckmuller will represent New Zealand at the junior world championship in Canada later this year with the ultimate ambition of competing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.