Kettlebells!!! What Else?: The Australian Kettlebell Club Championship 2012

The first Australian Kettlebell Club Championship sanctioned by The World Kettlebell Club was held on the 21st April 2012 at Iron Edge Fitness in Melbourne, Australia. Initially there were four of us from Singapore that were supposed to compete but Nifal and Becky were out injured due to a wrist injury and concussion respectively in a non-kettlebell related incident. So it was just down to me and Teng to step onto the platform.

We arrived on the friday morning a day before the meet after an eight hour flight. Didn't get to sleep much on the plane and as soon as we touched down, we checked-in to our apartment and went out with my friend George who lives in Melbourne for a day of sightseeing and a little shopping. I didn't get to bed till 1am that night as Melbourne was 2 hours ahead of Singapore's time and my body couldn't adapt that fast :)

Woke up at 7am on the day of the comp to pack as we are checking out of the apartment to head off to Bendigo right away after the comp with the crew from Rock Hard Kettlebells. Arrived at the Iron Edge Fitness at 15 minutes past 10am for a little briefing and weigh-in. When we stepped into the venue, we were awed bu the amount of space and equipments in front of us. That place was simply awesome! It was a huge warehouse that sells most of the unconventional strength training equipments that a gym would need.

So it's 11am and time for me to step onto the platform. Suprisingly, I wasn't as nervous as my first comp in Hong Kong back in July 2011. I just switched back to the biathlon event two weeks before this meet and my first snatch practice after 9 months ended in disaster. I tore my hands pretty badly and did not recover until the last couple of days before flying off. So there wasn't even talk about me hitting the numbers required to make rank with the 20kgs which is 58 reps for jerks and 55/55 for snatches. All that my coach asked for was to lift with good technique and form. Classy lifting she calls it. So there was no pressure on me.

My results were 58 for jerks and 36/38 for snatch. I hit my target for jerks but still a whole lot of work to be done on my snatches. Nevertheless, I was awarded the Best Lifter title for biathlon. It was based on technique and form rather than on how heavy we were lifting which, most people would agree that it is important since this sport is still in its infancy outside of Eastern Europe. This is to ensure that the athletes as well as the competition itself is of a high standard as well as to safeguard the athletes well-being.

A big thank you to my coach, the Australian Kettlebell Club, fellow competitors and sponsors for making the meet a great and organized event. Special thanks to my wife Linda who's been a great pillar of strength and support. Nifal Johannes for always being there to spur me on when the set gets tough. And to all my family, friends and students for their kind words of encouragement. Now, it's time to get on with training for September's comp :)