Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
LIYANA SIDEK broke the national record in the women's U-55kg category at the IWF World Cup 2024 in Phuket, Thailand on Tuesday.
She lifted a combined total of 130kg (snatch and clean & jerk) to better her record by 3kg set at the World Weightlifting Championships in Saudi Arabia back in September.
Liyana was ecstatic with her performance at the Phuket Rajabhat University.
"I had set out to break my comp bests and we did just that," said Liyana in an interview with BruSports News.
"This particular comp’s aim was to open outside of my comfort zone with numbers that would usually shake me up in the past.
"I plan to continue improving from here, and a lot of it comes down to mental training," she added.
She went all out in her first attempt in the snatch event with a record lift of 57kg.
Liyana then followed that with a 73kg lift in the clean & jerk in the final attempt.
It wasn't exactly the easiest with preparations heading into the April 2-11 competition.
"This prep was honestly a rollercoaster ride. My weight suffered the most, with having to gain to fill up the U-55 category," said Liyana.
"My weight gain has been a constant struggle ever since I’ve decided to come back up to the U-55 category from competing in the U-49 last year.
"Though, I am determined to successfully fill up my weight class for the next comp," she added.
When asked on what's next on the calendar this year, she replied: "Commonwealth Championships in September and the World Championships in December.
"It’s full steam ahead from now on to keep improving and breaking my own records," concluded Liyana.
