Weightlifting: Lack of sleep hits Kiwi

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Olivia Baker is sleepless in Sydney.

New Zealand's first-ever Olympic woman weightlifter - limbering up for the battle to find the world's strongest woman - hasn't had a decent kip since arriving at the athletes' village.

Her bed is too small. Her coach is considering moving her out of the village for a couple of nights so she won't be bleary-eyed when she steps up to the platform next Friday.

The 95kg Baker is not alone with bed problems. The sole New Zealand men's weightlifter, Nigel Avery, who is 188cm tall and 120kg, has had to take the end of his bed off so his feet can fit.

Baker's family, all weightlifting fanatics, arrived in Sydney yesterday to watch their star compete. They are staying at the home of friends, and Baker could join them there if her predicament is not solved.

Coach Garry Marshall has even offered to give her his mattress and pillow if it will help.

The lack of sleep was showing a little yesterday when Baker trained in a vacant airforce hangar on the outskirts of Sydney.

Attempting to snatch her New Zealand record total of 100kg, she dropped the weights over her head.

Matters weren't helped when she forgot to take her socks to training, and was suffering from blistered feet - the result of a new pair of sandals.

"She should have nailed that one," Marshall said of the failed lift. "But she's a bit casual, a bit slow today.

"I guess that's what we expect at the moment, though. She's very strong, but she's still in the process of getting ready. We'll do finishing-off work in the next few days."

Baker, who will compete in the super-heavyweight class in the Olympic debut of women's weightlifting, would be happy to stay in the village so she can eat her way to a medal. In the next week, she has to pack on more weight. Her goal is 100kg.

Marshall said Baker's weight fell unexpectedly to 93kg, and she lifts better when she is heavier.

"It sneaked up on us, but then it became noticeable in her training," he said. "Three weeks ago we decided it was time to try to put the weight back on. If we can get back to 97 to 100kg for this competition, it would be perfect."

Baker is ranked 10th-equal going into the competition, with her best total 225kg.

The world's strongest women, China's Meiyuan Ding and Polish teenager Agata Wrobel, have held world records at 285kg and 290kg respectively.

Avery had a light training yesterday, on his second day in Sydney. In the men's superheavyweights, he is ranked 24th in the world, so he aims to score a personal best and remain the Commonwealth's strongest guy.

Weightlifting has been hit hard by a stream of withdrawals. Chinese-Taipei's Chen Po-pu was kicked out of the village after a positive drug test, and a Czech lifter was sent home for steroid use a week ago. Two top Chinese lifters pulled out without explanation, while two leading Greeks and Bulgarian 77kg world record holder Vasilev Vanez were injured.

*Olivia Baker starts competition on Friday.