King felt nauseous and could not complete her last two warm-ups, which meant she went on to the podium on 125kg.
“It wasn’t an ideal situation out the back. Ideally, I would have made all of my lifts but, at the same time, you aren’t always going to get an ideal situation so it’s about handling that,” she said.
“The fact that I did go out there and got the 125kg was fantastic because it could have gone either way.”
King said a 7kg jump to 132kg was unconventional for her but she managed to make it “feel and look easier than the 125kg that I did”.
In the snatch, King opened with a 102kg attempt but failed: “I really had to pull myself back from that.”
She “nailed” the second 102kg attempt but then “overcommitted” in her 106kg attempt, which motivated her to give everything in the clean and jerk.
After hitting 132kg, King attempted 138kg but missed the clean.
“It was definitely nice to put that sort of number on that bar ... it was more than I had ever done,” she said.
“Even putting my hands on a number like 138kg was pretty cool.”
King said she did not expect to win a medal in the Universal Weightlifting Cup but said it was good to test herself against much older competitors.
Her four medals add to the two she claimed at the World Youth and Junior Championships in Peru last year.
King moved to Hamilton from Whanganui in February for university and hands-on coaching.
She said her coach, Gabi Peach, was one of the main reasons for moving.
“I came with the intention of getting some study underway and an opportunity to really excel in my lifting,” she said.
“It’s definitely been a bit challenging, moving away from home and in a completely different environment, but it is just something that I’m having to get used to.”
She said her training had improved now there was always a coach available to help.
“When I was at home, I was constantly training alone but having somebody who could be eyes-on, fixing my technique and giving me feedback in the moment is a lot better than getting some feedback online and fixing it a week later,” King said.
After falling short in qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in Samoa, King is reminding herself of her age.
“It was never going to be easy, I was always going to have to fight for it and I knew that,” she said.
“I know I am still young and, although I didn’t land where I had to, I know that there is so much ahead of me; it’s about keeping my view fresh on that – there really is so much time.”
Her goal is to perform well at the 2026 New Zealand National Weightlifting Championships on December 4-6.
“I think it’s time to have a bit of a reset; get into some training, focus on enjoying myself in training and studying,” King said.
“My goal is to set my sights on nationals and put a good total up.”
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
