Cam McTaggart takes silver in weightlifting
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Experienced weighlifter Cameron McTaggart has claimed his first Commonwealth Games medal when he finished second in the men's 88kg division.
McTaggart, 28, totalled 338kg, which placed him behind only Malaysian Hafizuddin Muhammad, who won with 345kg. The New Zealanders was well clear of bronze medallist Angus Doig of Scotland, who totalled 309kg.
LATEST HEADLINES:
In the snatch, McTaggart began promisingly with lifts of 150kg and 154kg, but he was unable to lift 157kg. On to the clean and jerk, McTaggart succeeded with 180kg and 184kg, then threw caution to the winds when he took at shot at 192kg in an effort to catch Muhammad. The attempt failed, but McTaggart was a proud silver medallist all the same.
Though he and his sister, pole vault champion Olivia, were both born on the Gold Coast, they moved to New Zealand when young. Cameron lives on the North Shore and over the past decade he has gained a vast amount of weightlifting experience.
He's competed at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games. He's won gold medals at the Pacific Games and Oceania Games (twice) and a bronze at the Commonwealth championships, but this effort in Glasgow is a career highpoint.
McTaggart said afterwards the silver medal had been '15 years in the making'.
'I'm ecstatic. To have everyone here. They know how tough the build-up has been. I went into the competition today with the mantra "free and fearless". I just let my body go and it worked well.'
