Cheyenne Smith targeting bigger lifts, bigger goals in Egypt

The 26-year-old newcomer recently returned from Batumi, Georgia, where she competed as part of her efforts to meet the qualifying standards for the Games in Scotland later this year.

Smith says the journey towards securing a Commonwealth Games spot has been both physically and mentally demanding. 

"How this Commonwealth Games qualification works is that you've got to be the top eight in the rankings and to try and find all the competitions that count and all the results is a little bit difficult to do, but for me it seems like the 8th position is a 196 so we're going big for this next competition." 

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She added that her focus has been more on technique for the Egypt meet. 

"So it's been really good, this last competition was where we actually tried the 90 and the 104. It's quite a technical adjustment that I need to make, not so much strength because I felt really strong. So, we're just going to drill in my ground work." 

Smith is determined to represent South Africa, an achievement that would put her growth in the sport into even more perspective.