Make or break

Michael Winn is hoping to go to this year's Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

MICHAEL Winn sits quietly on an incline bench in the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Springfield gym as his weightlifting coach, and brother-in-law, Craig Wegert, raves on about the youngster’s raw talent and potential.

As Wegert speaks, the Regents Park 16-year-old seems oblivious to everything he says, somewhat disinterested and almost asleep.

“He does that,” Wegert said of Winn’s semblance of boredom.

“He’s like that at competition, but tell him to go lift some weights and boom, out of nowhere he can surprise you with what he can do.”

It seems the only thing that can spark Winn out of this slumbering mode is weightlifting.

Wegert believed when Winn wasn’t lifting bars, he was dreaming about it.

And he’s probably right, with a chance to go to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games not beyond the Browns Plains State High School student’s reach.

Desperate to make the team, Winn is waking up at six o’clock nearly every morning to practise.

While most kids his age are still tucked away in bed, Winn is hoisting more than 80kg of weights above his head in the garage of his Regents Park home.

“I try not to drop the weight too hard because mum works night shift and she doesn’t get to bed until four in the morning,” Winn explained.

“But I train when I can, so hopefully I can get higher and improve. I want to go further in the sport.”

Winn first started weightlifting at USQ Springfield Weightlifting Club about 12 months ago to help bolster up for rugby league.

But after thriving results at the Australian under-16 national weightlifting tournament in September last year, Winn began to take the sport more seriously.

Since he started dedicating six days a week (10 sessions) to weightlifting training, Winn has rocketed up the rankings and earned himself a spot on the Australian Weightlifting Federation 2010 Youth Olympic Games Shadow Team.

The 69kg weightlifter is on track to make his Australian debut in May at the Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Nauru.

If he improves enough, Winn could also be selected to go to the Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Singapore in August.

“I’m pretty confident (of going),” Winn said.

“I think it’ll be fun – a rare experience.

“First I want to compete at the Oceania Championships. I’ve never represented Australia before.

“Not many kids my age get to do that (represent Australia) at this age so that would be pretty cool.”

Winn is currently Australia’s sixth highest ranked weightlifter in the Australian Youth Development Squad after personal best lifts of 72kg (snatch) and 87kg (clean and jerk) during round one of the 2010 Queensland Weightlifting League competition in Chandler on February 13.

But with only two Australian lifters beckoned to compete at this year’s Youth Olympic Games, Winn needs to make up ground fast.

Something his mentor Wegert said he had the will and capability to do.

“As for any youth or young person, these things only come around once in a lifetime,” he said.

“The opportunity for a young man in a sport to go to a Youth Olympics will never happen again, so it’s make or break time for Michael and I think he has the ability to get there.

“I recently spoke to Australian Weightlifting CEO, Mike Keelan, and he said to me and Michael’s dad that he was an outside chance (to go to the Youth Olympics) but he’s got a chance and will need to work hard to get there.”