Help Kanah to represent NZ in the Oceania Champs at the Pacific Games

My name is Kanah Andrews-Nahu I am a 14 year old competitive Olympic Weightlifter who currently holds 30 New Zealand Youth records in Olympic Weightlifting and I am ranked number 1 in NZ in my current weight division of 69kg+. My current competition personal best lifts include a 70kg Snatch and an 82kg Clean & Jerk two lifts that I am very proud of.

I have recently been selected to represent New Zealand in the Youth Olympic Weightlifting team to compete at the upcoming Oceania Championships at the Pacific Games being held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from July 1-9

I am so excited and would absolutely love to take on this amazing opportunity, however, due to the fact that this trip will not be funded and athletes are required to raise the funds themselves to pay for flights, food, accommodation & uniforms, (all of which are quite expensive), especially when my family do not have these funds readily available to pay for everything and my mum is studying full-time for a degree.

So I am hopeful that with your generosity and support that you might be able to help me get to the Oceania Champs so I can proudly represent New Zealand at this epic event.

Background Information:

How did I get into Olympic Weightlifting?

I started doing CrossFit at around age 11-12. CrossFit is a sport that involves a lot of Olympic Weightlifting and I found that I really enjoyed the lifting side of CrossFit. At age 13 I took part in my first Olympic Weightlifting competition, where I managed to break several NZ Records and soon after, I was selected by Olympic Weightlifting NZ to take part in a talent identification programme at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in New Caledonia on a full scholarship in December 2014, while in New Caledonia I competed in the Pacific Cup and won 3rd place, where again I managed to break more NZ records. The coach Paul Coffa at the institute was so impressed with my abilities he suggested that my mum look into finding me a coach that would help me train specifically in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. From there, I stopped doing CrossFit and I only do Olympic Weightlifting now. I was quite happy to change from CrossFit to Olympic Weightlifting as I didn't always enjoy doing all of that hard core cardio you have to do in CrossFit. My mum then found me the perfect Coach and Club and I couldn't have asked for anything better, I absolutely love my gym and I love my sport.

How often do I train?

I train from Monday to Friday sometimes up to 3 hours per day depending on what my training programme for the week is. We get a new training schedule each week and in addition to that we also do extras like mobility/stretching etc. I also do a little bit of powerlifting at my other gym, but not too often, as I have to stick to my training schedule

Facts:

Club: Functional Strength Olympic

Coach: Richie Patterson

Favourite Food: Chocolate

Favourite Programme: Family Guy

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and support my appeal.