Weightlifting: Kiwis face super-strong fields

Olivia Baker and Nigel Avery approach their Olympic weightlifting competitions without New Zealand public expectations creaking heavily on their shoulders.

Their harshest critics with be the lifters themselves as they aim to record personal bests at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, because they realise a medal is beyond them - barring a wide-ranging drugs scandal or injuries eliminating much of their opposition.

Baker, 21, is already eyeing gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

That's a realistic rather than defeatist attitude. In her class - the women's 75kg-plus category - Poland's Agata Wrobel is expected to be in a class of her own on Friday.

Baker has a personal best of 225kg; Wrobel, meanwhile, has a combined snatch, clean and jerk total of 293kg.

Meiyuan Ding, the Chinese world champion is considered another medal certainty in the 12-strong field.

The Wellingtonian, ranked 12th in the world, hopes to break into the top 10, at task that should not be beyond her - she is seeded 10th-equal with Nauru's Sheeva Peo.

Baker's buildup has gone smoothly, although coach Garry Marshall would be happier if the 95kg lifter had beefed up to 100kg after shedding a few pounds during training.

Avery, a late bloomer, picked up his first national title a year into the sport four years ago.

Two years later, he was the Oceania champion and he clinched a surprise bronze in the snatch at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

However, he is arguably lumped in the most competitive class in the men's 108kg-plus competition.

The former New Zealand bobsled representative and national athletics champion, is ranked 26th in the world after lifting a personal best of 372kg.

For massive Russian Andrei Chemerkin, lifting 372kg is tantamount to mere mortals picking up the washing basket.

The 170kg police major won gold at Atlanta in the 105kg class and has a personal best 100kg more than the Kiwi.

Germany's Ronny Weller and Armenian Ara Vardanyan are among a host of other prospects for the medal podium when the competition is held next Tuesday.

Avery's coach Richard Dryden said the lifter had been training well and adjusted easily to the Games environment, after originally planning to arrive late and avoid the hype.

"We agreed it was too good an opportunity to pass up."

Avery said the fun and Games start after Tuesday.

"If he does a personal best then we'll look about getting up the rankings - and then we'll have some fun."

- NZPA