Amorangi Rayner lifting at a recent local club contest where she practiced for the Oceania Championships.
Amorangi Rayner lifting at a recent local club contest where she practiced for the Oceania Championships.
Whanganui's under-53kg junior national champion Amorangi Rayner flew out of New Zealand yesterday looking to add the Oceania championship to her resume this week.
The 14-year-old Year 10 Cullinane College student was selected for the New Zealand weightlifting team to head to New Caledonia for her first overseas competition, whereshe hopes to set national records for her division.
At the national senior and junior championships in Dunedin last year, Rayner broke the snatch record by 2kg when she successfully lifted 46kg, and got the overall total national record at 99kg, after she only missed the clean and jerk record (55kg) by about 1kg.
She wants to set records in all three during this trip, with her first lift on Thursday. Trained by her CrossFit Whanganui parents Matthew Rayner and Karli Kaea-Norman, Amorangi Rayner took up competitive lifting two years ago, alongside her main interest of gymnastics.
The teen has received support from her friends and family along with the Whanganui community, having sold T-shirts as a fundraiser.
