From the Beef Capital to Birmingham, Sarah Cochrane is gunning for Games gold

Glenmore State High graduate Sarah Cochrane is part of the Australian weightlifting team bound for Birmingham. Read about her journey to the elite stage here.

Weightlifter Sarah Cochrane will represent Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Picture: Shae Beplate.

When Sarah Cochrane started her sporting life as a gymnast, she never once dreamed of competing at a Commonwealth Games.

But she will do just that, albeit in a different sport, in a matter of weeks.

Rockhampton product Cochrane is a member of Australia’s 11-member weightlifting team heading to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

The 33-year-old Glenmore State High graduate, who will compete in the 64kg division, is “over the moon” about her selection.

“It’s hard to explain. I don’t think it will fully sink in until we are over there,” she said.

“Being able to represent Australia at such a high level means the world to me.

Weightlifter Sarah Cochrane will represent Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“I’ll definitely be giving my everything on that stage in Birmingham and hoping I can do all Aussies proud.”

Cochrane’s road to the Commonwealth Games has taken some interesting turns.

Rockhampton born and bred, she started in gymnastics when she was young at the Victoria Park Gymnastic and Trampoline Club.

She followed her mother and older sister into the sport, and it proved to be a great fit.

An accomplished competitor, she reached Level 10 in the sport.

Cochrane competed until she was about 17 before she moved to Townsville to study speech pathology at university.

After several years, she found her way into CrossFit through which she was introduced to weightlifting.

It was through the high intensity interval training that she met her now coach Bryce Knight.

“He was the one dangling the carrot,” Cochrane said.

“He was always looking at current weightlifting records and telling me that he thought I could be up there, even when I didn’t seem to be very close at the time.”

Cochrane made the decision to focus on weightlifting and took part in her first competition in early 2018 from where, she said, “things escalated fairly quickly”.

She made her first Australian team in 2019 after just five competitions and narrowly missed selection for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Knight, who has coached Cochrane for the past decade, said her attention to detail and the will to perfect every aspect of her sport was incredible.

“She is definitely a hard worker and I’m sure she is going to excel at these Games and continue rattling cages,” he said.

Cochrane is in strong form heading into Birmingham.

She finished seventh at the world championships in December last year before a first-placed finish at the Commonwealth championships.

Cochrane trains nine times a week, and up to three hours in each session.

Her current competition PBs are 100kg for the snatch and 120kg for the clean and jerk.

“I think I can go better but we’ll have to see what happens,” she said.

“I’ve put in all the work so I’m looking good to hit some bigger numbers on the day.

Weightlifter Sarah Cochrane is preparing for the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“It’s funny, I don’t normally like the spotlight on me as a person but as an athlete I like being up there and showing what I can do.

“I’m pretty determined when I want something and I’m pretty chilled out as well so I quite enjoy a bit of pressure and can handle it.”

Cochrane flies out on Thursday to join the Australian team for a training camp in Spain before the Games start on July 28.

Her parents will be in Birmingham to urge her on in her Commonwealth Games debut.

“They’re very excited,” she said.

“My competitions have given them the chance to do some travel as they come to support me and I love that we can share that.”