Whanganui student Mollie King won the junior and senior titles in the 87kg women’s class at the NZ Weightlifting Champs in Auckland.
Whanganui student Mollie King won the junior and senior titles in the 87kg women’s class at the NZ Weightlifting Champs in Auckland.
Whanganui secondary school student Mollie King proved her talent at the 2024 New Zealand Weightlifting National Championships.
Mollie took home gold in the junior and senior 87kg divisions with personal bests of a 96kg snatch and a 115kg clean and jerk, totalling 211kg, at the event in Auckland at LabourWeekend.
The 16-year-old’s win in the senior division was particularly impressive, lifting 15kg more than her closest competitor.
Mollie is a Year 12 student at Whanganui Girls’ College and trains at her home gym.
She began her love of fitness when her parents opened a cross-fit gym. When the gym closed, she stuck with what she loved most - the weights.
Last year she broke three under-15 national records for weightlifting, setting the snatch and total records twice in just a few months by breaking her own records.
At this year’s national championships, Mollie beat her personal bests set earlier in the year during the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Fiji, earning bronze with a 92kg snatch, 113kg clean and jerk, and a combined total of 205kg.
Mollie King with her weightlifting medals.
In her first year of competing internationally, Mollie has entered four major events, improving her personal best by 43kg since her debut.
“After such a huge year you feel pretty knackered, but I can take a lot of growth from that and see the opportunities that there are in the years to come. I can take a lot from this past year, a lot of learning, a lot of opportunities,” she said.
Mollie funds her trips by selling firewood and seeking sponsorship from Whanganui businesses.
One of her highlights of being able to compete internationally was her friendships with the athletes she travelled with, “getting to bond closer with them and make life-long friendships”.
“I think it’s just super cool to be able to travel the world and do something that you love doing.”
She is expected to represent New Zealand in 2025 at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Commonwealth Senior Games, Oceania Championships and World Youth Games.
Beyond that, her sights are set on representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026.
But for now, after a successful year, Mollie is planning to “refresh and build up for next year”.
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
