Melbourne Students Make Powerlifting History in Hong Kong

7 January 2020; Liam Petterson

The University of Melbourne’s first all-student international powerlifting squad brought home a slew of medals from the 2019 Asia Pacific Powerlifting Championships.

Six student-athletes made the podium while representing Australia at the event which took place in Hong Kong last December, with four of them women.

Bachelor of Biomedicine student Kathy Nguyen, who won a gold medal in the U72 Junior division, said that competing for the Melbourne University Weightlifting and Powerlifting Club (MUWPC) has been a highlight of her university experience.

“It was an honour to represent Australia and share the platform with such strong individuals whom I’m also proud to call my friends.”

“This opportunity was a valuable learning experience which left us all eager to work harder and continue to improve both physically and mentally as athletes.”

“Being a part of the MUWPC community has become one of my fondest achievements.”

In the leadup to the Championships, coach Victor Liu focused on creating a positive team culture where student-athletes were invested in the success of their teammates.

“I have raised the standard of lifting by making each student not only care about their development, but the development of their teammates,” he said.

“All of them juggled university studies and part-time work while also peaking towards this contest. Despite being flooded with assignments and exams during the past two months, each athlete was determined to continue training throughout this period.”

The competitors are part of the Club’s Student Performance Squad, which consists of 35 students from the University of Melbourne, who train at the Beaurepaire Centre.

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