Weightlifting: Wong makes claim for Commonwealth Games

SINGAPORE — Just seven months after making the switch from track and field to weightlifting citing a lack of support from the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA), Scott Wong may now be heading to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for his new sport.

The Singapore Weightlifting Federation (SWF) will submit a late appeal today to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) after 23-year-old Wong lifted a personal best total of 303kg at the British Student Championship 2014 (BSC) in London on Saturday.

If successful, he will join fellow lifter Lewis Chua and some 80 other Singapore athletes heading to the quadrennial Games (July 23-Aug 3).

Earlier this month, 22-year-old Chua was given the go-ahead after achieving a personal best of 316kg at the Singapore National Open Weightlifting Championship in March, 4kg above the Commonwealth Games’ qualifying mark of 312kg.

Chua, who started training with SWF in 2009, broke through the 300kg barrier for the first time last November at the Commonwealth Championship in Penang with 307kg.

Rookie Wong breached the 300kg mark with his latest competition outing — his 133kg snatch, 170kg clean and jerk total won him the +105kg category in the BSC, and puts him just 9kg shy of the Games’ qualifying mark.

And it is Wong’s fast progress in the sport, after posting a string of PBs in successive competitions, that will bolter SWF’s appeal for his inclusion for the Glasgow contingent.

Commented SWF president Tom Liaw: “Scott has tremendous potential and is picking up the sport very fast. Based on his results over the past months, it is very clear we have unearthed a huge talent for Singapore weightlifting. He is hard working, and it is interesting to see what he can achieve (at the Games).”

Wong’s next opportunity to hit the qualifying mark is at the British Seniors’ competition in two weeks, though he hopes an approval from the SNOC will allow him to focus on recuperating, and pace his lead-up to the Games.

“I sustained a slipped disc on my lower back during training two months ago and I have been competing through pain because I cannot let this chance slip away,” said Wong, a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester.

“I have come far ... It is just about me balancing my studies, and injuries, while getting as technically efficient as possible in a short period of time. But there is no point working hard to get the qualification and burning out just before the Commonwealth Games.”

Training six days a week up to four hours daily, Wong believes he is only starting to get a grip of the sport.

“The technique in weightlifting is not easy to master, and I have only just been able to use it confidently in competition this time around and it worked … so this is very good progress,” said Wong, who aims to lift 340kg in the month before the Commonwealth Games.

“This is important because I have to start using my strength efficiently. As I already have a huge amount of strength, I believe I can achieve something remarkable at the Commonwealths.”

Scott Wong’s progression:

Oct 26, 2013: 275kg (World Championship, Wroclaw, Poland)

Nov 16, 2013: 278kg (BWL Northern Open, UK)

Mar 23, 2014: 292kg (British Northern Championship, UK)

Apr 26, 2013: 303kg (British Student Championship, UK)