As if representing Australia on the international stage in one sport wasn’t enough, Tamworth’s Jack Davis will add another feather to his cap in a fortnight’s time.
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Following a fourth place in the under 15 boys category at the UCI BMX World Championships in Rock Hill at the end of July, the sporting wunderkind will now switch gears and take on Oceania’s best in Olympic-style weightlifting next month.
Davis’ weightlifting journey all started to improve his BMX riding.
The average person on the street wouldn’t be able to make the connection between the two sports but the explosive power needed in weightlifting is the same as that needed on the BMX track.
“I started lifting weights at 11 years old which is pretty young but it was never anything really heavy and it was just for BMX,” Davis explained.
“I was doing a lot of fitness, too, with all the CrossFit stuff and then we found Olympic weightlifting complimented BMX more, so we just solely started doing that.
“It helps you get stronger and improves your power which is perfect for BMX, that’s what you need in BMX, you need power.”
It quickly became clear the 15-year-old wasn’t half bad at weightlifting and he enjoyed it, too.
Fast forward to July this year, Davis competed in the 69-kilogram class at the Australian Under 15 and Youth Championships.
The progression to the Oceania Championships came after he jokingly asked for 90 kilograms to be put on the bar for his final clean and jerk lift and, as if written for a movie script, he nailed it.
“I was confident in myself but I originally said it jokingly,” Davis, who trains out of Snake CrossFit, said.
“So, I never thought that it was actually going to happen but my coach put it on there and as soon as that happened, the adrenaline started flowing through me.
“I think that’s what helped me get the lift in that situation with all the people there, all the eyes on you.”
The Farrer student, who will be on the youngest competitors at the Oceania Championships, has since hit a new personal best with a lift of 95 kilograms in the clean and jerk and hopes to go higher at the event.
The strive to improve at weightlifting all funnels back to his BMX riding.
The weights were just one component to a busy training schedule that saw Davis take out fourth at the BMX world titles.
“It was really good, there was a lot of hard work that paid off, I was really happy,” Davis said of his fourth placing.
“I would have been disappointed if I didn't make it to the top eight – the final – and I’m really glad I did.
“I actually think for once I deserved to be there and was training hard all year and that was my sole goal so I’m glad it was a good result.”
BMX doesn’t have a specified on-season and off-season instead competitions tend to be clumped together across the whole year.
A break from BMX competitions has allowed Davis to pursue weightlifting for now.
The Oceania Championships will be held in the Gold Coast this year.
They will run from September 2 through to September 10.
