Stephen’s power to burn

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By Chris Peteru

Nauru’s drive to become the weightlifting powerhouse of the future runs parallel to the rise of Marcus Stephen who has singlehandedly put the tiny nation on the sporting map of the world.

Unassuming and modest, the 26-year old finance manager has barged his way to weightlifting’s top, after first picking up a barbell as a 16-year-old college student in Melbourne.

But with a world record equalling effort in the clean and jerk last October, the 59kilogramme lifter admits to being slightly shocked at his international success and his own ability.

“I really am (surprised) because Nauru is not known for its sportsmen. For us even to win a gold at the South Pacific Games is like the Olympic games. I never thought I would be this good, but I just kept on train ing.”

He was placed fifth in the World Championships in China.

Since storming onto the international scene in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold and two silver medals as Nauru’s sole competitor, he has main tained the winning momentum and kept his feet firmly on the neck of most opposi tion.

With Nauru qualifying for a place in the weightlifting finals at the Atlanta Olympics, Stephen could easily be amongst the medals.

Coach Paul Coffa, who has been with him since the start of his career has put him on a tough training schedule, lifting for up to six hours a day, six days a week. Diet consists mainly of “Foods that I’m com fortable with,” meaning raw fish and coconut cream, steak and rice, plus plenty of vitamin supplements and minerals.

So far, the results have been encourag

ing.

In training, he has already broken the clean and jerk record with a lift of 175kgs, while his personal best in the snatch is 132kgs.

His single-minded determination to achieving Olympic success means normal pursuits like socialising with friends have had to take a back seat to his Atlanta dream.

“I tend to stay home, relax and just train. It’s very hard to do. Maybe once every three or four months I might go out, but at this point in my preparation I don’t have the time.”

“For the Olympics you don’t have to say how motivated you are because if you

want something, everyday you’re really

out for it.”

Coffa describes his charges’ commit ment to making it in Atlanta as “beyond belief.”

“He knows he is 30 weeks away and he is not going to let go now. But to do well there he knows he has to train every moment of his life because the Bulgarians, Russians, Koreans and everybody else are all on the same path.”

Having already trained and competed

in Australia for the last 10 years, has men tally hardened the Naruan to the psycho logical aspects of the sport.

Positive reinforcement and visualisa tion are two aspects of sports psyschology

Stephen frequently uses, both in training

and at contest time.

“I always go through visualising myself

lifting the bar, because in this sport if you are one per cent not sure, the weight is going to squash you, because they are almost three times my body weight. Unlike humans, the weight doesn’t cheat or say, “I

feel sorry for this guy,” so you have to be hard on yourself.”

“You don’t worry about other competi tors, just yourself. You know the weights you are going to lift and what to do, and if you are stronger you are going to beat them. And you don’t get psyched out, that’s childish. I’ve been to a hundred competitions and its always the same thing.”

At home, the Stephen magic has pro

vided plenty of inspiration, virtually turn

ing weightlifting into the republic’s nation al sport.

Naum now has a stable of 55 lifters capable of competing to a high standard, believes Coffa. And the numbers continue to increase.

“The other day when we returned from the World Junior Championships, we were confronted with 20, 12-year-old kids and their parents, who had bought their boys down to see Marcus. Where do we go from here? I don’t know, but in years to come there will be books written about this.”

An adage long held in Pacific weightlifting circles, was that the person who could motivate Polynesian kids to take up strength sports would see them dominate the world. That man has now arrived.

Marcus Stephen profile 1987 - Commonwealth and Oceania Championships, Canberra, Australia. 1988 - Division winner, Oceania

Championships, Tahiti.

1990 - Won one gold and two silver medals at the Auckland Commonwealth Games. 1991 - World Championships in Germany 1992- Barcelona Olympic Games (rep resented Western Samoa) 1994 - Won three gold medals at the Victoria Commonwealth Games. 1995 - October 26, equalled the world clean and jerk record at 170 kilos in the 59kg division; Finished sth in the World Championships in China. 1996 - .Atlanta Olympic Games. ■

Marcus Stephen