Devin Vowles won’t just be going to Suva, Fiji, in September to coach 13-year-old Lexi Fung at the Commonwealth Weighlifting Championships, he’ll also be competing.
He’s not sure which will make him more nervous.
It’s the first big international competition for both athletes, who train at the Function Health Club in Port Coquitlam.
A longtime powerlifter, Vowles made the transition to the Olympic disciplines of the snatch and clean and jerk four years ago. He said he’s “still adjusting” to his new sport’s greater emphasis on technique over brute strength.
Fung, a Grade 9 student at Riverside Secondary School, embraced weightlifting after getting into the sport to build up her stamina as a gymnast.
Vowles said their individual paths to weightlifting have made them a unique team; he’s able to relay his experience in strength sports to Fung while gleaning tips from her natural ability to move smoothly and quickly because of her gymnastics background to improve his own technique.
“Gymnasts have a lot of understanding how to move their bodies effectively,” he said.
Fung, who will be competing in the youth women’s 45 kg category, said she found herself hoisting barbells more than swinging on the uneven bars because the gym provided a more fun, supportive environment.
When she started having success at competitions, she shifted her athletic allegiance entirely to weightlifting.
Since last October, Fung has increased the weight she can lift in the snatch event from 30 kg. to 58 kg. and in the clean and jerk she’s improved 27 kg.
She said it’s fun to attain her goals.
Vowles said he sees a bit of his younger self in his protégé and it’s motivating to help her strive for her potential.
“As a coach, I want to give the aspiring athlete an opportunity to be better than I ever was,”
Vowles said his previous experience competing provincially and nationally as a powerlifter have made him somewhat inure to the pressures of being on stage, under the glare of spotlights.
“I’m notoriously good at competitions,” he said. “I don’t get nervous.”
But watching Fung from the sidelines will bring a new level of anxiety.
“As a coach, I have a responsibility to give her the best opportunity to perform.”
How you can help get them to Fiji
Weightlifters don’t get a lot of funding for their sport, so both Vowles and Fung have GoFundMe campaigns to help raise the $3,500 they each need to get to Fiji.
