Lovely weightlifter to make history

Damon Kelly and Deborah Lovely will head to Beijing in August to represent Australia in the weightlifting event, with Lovely set to make history.

She will become the first female weightlifter to represent Australia at two Olympic Games.

A competent athlete in both discus and hammer throw, Lovely took up weightlifting as a 15-year-old to improve her strength.

She never imagined the extra training could lead her to twice attend the world’s most prestigious sporting event as a weightlifter.

"I'm just so excited, and exhausted, and excited," Lovely said.

"The qualifications were intense. Travelling there, competing and then cheering on the others, it was a really full on experience. I’m just so happy to have made it through."

At the Games, Lovely will compete in the +75kg category, making her confident she will avoid some of the problems she experienced going into Athens.

"In the lead up to Athens I was training so hard, and whilst putting on all that muscle, I was simultaneously trying to lose weight to ensure my weight didn’t breach the 75kg restriction of my category," she said.

"This year I have moved up a division so I can focus all my effort on being ready for competition and not on losing those last few kilos."

Throughout her decorated and multi-faceted career, Lovely has excelled not only in weightlifting and athletics, but also in track cycling and women’s rugby.

"Growing up with two brothers I always played a lot of sport, and whatever I do I can’t do half-heartedly," she said.

"I love the feeling of giving 100 per cent, and just really going hard and giving it my all, no matter what the sport."

After winning weightlifting gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Lovely’s interest in rugby evolved, and although she was selected for the Australian Rugby Training Squad, a broken ankle meant she never progressed.

Her comeback to the sport of weightlifting in February 2008 was nothing but spectacular, smashing the Australian +75kg snatch, clean and jerk and total records.

Breaking records is something that 24-year-old Damon Kelly is no stranger to either.

Finding form in 2006, the Queenslander lifted 217kg in the clean and jerk at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games securing him a silver medal and a new Games record.