Injury free Muldrock hopes to prove wait worthwhile

Injury has kept Kaikohe's Trish Muldrock at bay for most of the year but this weekend, the 56-year-old will be getting her own back at the national bench press championships at Whangarei's Kingsgate Hotel.
After suffering undiagnosed shoulder pain for nearly 12 months, the world record holder for the 48kg 50-plus women said she had made some progress.
"I found a good physio who has found the pain is coming from my back. I've had treatment and over the past two weeks, I've finally been able to train pain free.
"I would love to go out there and go really big with my lift, but I will only be doing enough to qualify for next year's world championships in Denmark," she said.
To qualify for the world championships, Muldrock has to lift a mere 60kg, in comparison with the 83kg she lifted setting her record at the world masters champs in Taupo last year.
The Ohaeawai-born and raised Muldrock works at Community Fitness in Kerikeri and she will be joined by seven other competitors from the gym at Saturday's nationals.
About 50 competitors are expected to contest the nationals, where Muldrock's weight division (48kg) will be the lightest class, while the heaviest weight class will be 125kg-plus.
Although Muldrock is not attempting to lift her top weight, several of the 17 Northland competitors will be looking to set records, including Northland Powerlifting Association secretary Brian Froggatt, who is contesting the 82.5kg 50-plus men category. Froggatt set a New Zealand and Oceania age group record at the world masters last year, when he lifted 177kg. He is aiming to lift 180kg this weekend, he said.
Promising juniors Douglas Hope and Caleb Wright from Kerikeri are likely to crack established national records in their respective under-19 67.5kg and 100kg weight classes, while Kaitaia's Taari Murray has dropped from 90kg to 82.5kg and is attempting to break the national record of 92kg for her 40-plus age group.
"She should demolish that - she set the NZ record in the 90-plus weight class, lifting 162.5kg," host Froggatt said.
Also defending their national records are Richard Ayton, Laura Johnstone and Stephen Pickens from Northland, along with Whakatane's Reuben Simanu, the national open men's champion who has lifted 300kg.
It is the third time Northland Powerlifting Association has hosted the event in Whangarei. They held the inaugural bench press nationals in 2001 and last hosted them in 2004.
Froggatt was pleased the association had the opportunity to host the nationals again, as it promoted the minority sport within the greater community.
"We have a high standard of lifters in Northland, despite having relatively low numbers participating," he said.
The masters age groups get the competition under way at 11am on Saturday and they will be followed by the women and junior categories from 1pm. Finally, at 3pm, the open divisions will conclude the day's action at the Kingsgate Hotel. Spectators are welcome for a gold coin donation.