Grandmother aims for record lift

Grace Morrison is literally one tough lady.

The 59-year-old grandmother is in training for the International Weightlifting Federation World Masters Championships which is being held in Denmark in August.

Morrison has her eye on a world record which would be her second since taking up the sport in 2001.

She said her passion for the sport was still as strong as the day she began.

“I actually started at the Rockingham PCYC. I gave it a go and I just really liked it,” Morrison said.

“You get the bug and you just keep going, plus it’s a good excuse to go all over the world for championships.”

Weightlifting has taken her to France, Greece, Canada, Italy, Poland, Cyprus and Ukraine.

Morrison returned with a gold medal from the 2013 World Cup Masters in Penang in November.

“I went really well, I was really happy with what I lifted. I did six out of six lifts, which is great,” she said.

Morrison performed a 44kg snatch, and 62kg clean and jerk, to take home gold.

She said she loved the sense of individual achievement weightlifting offered her.

“It came naturally, I’m naturally very strong. It’s all down to you — you’re not dependent on how other people perform,” Morrison said.

“What you put in, you get out. It’s a hard sport, it’s not as if you can take a week or two off.

“I don’t ever stop otherwise it’s too hard to get your standard back up again.”

Morrison is a disciplined trainer, working out three times a week in her garage-gym.

Despite turning 60 this year, she has no desire to retire her weights.

“The older you get, the harder it gets,” she said.

“You naturally lose strength, it’s a bit hard to accept. You think maybe it’s time to stop, but I’m not ready yet.”

Morrison said she would know when to give up the sport.

“It’s when the passion dies. Some days you have to push yourself but I know what my goal is and that motivates me to keep going,” she said.

“If I put in the work I generally get the result.”

Morrison moves into a new age division this year and must snatch 37kg, and clean and jerk 49kg to break the world record — weights considerably less than what she lifted for her recent gold medal performance.

She said a supportive husband and proud family enabled her to continue with her passion in a sport without a strong following.

“I’ve got some wonderful girlfriends in Queensland,” Morrison said.

“(Weightlifting) is a lot bigger there; it’s very slow growing here for masters.”

Morrison joked her strength meant she never had to rely on husband, Rod, to move household furniture.