Weightlifting: Blake Mammarella to compete in weightlifting national championships

When the 26-year-old hoisted his final snatch overhead - which secured him the dramatic victory - he felt a twinge in his shoulder.

It had been slightly sore in the days leading up to the event, but nothing out of the ordinary.

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However, in the days following, it became painful and began to cause concerns about his ability to compete in this week's Australian Weightlifting Federation Championships at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

But that was not enough to stop Mammarella. As there is no serious damage to the shoulder, he dedicated himself to his training and decided he would compete regardless.

"It's certainly a little bit painful at the heavier weights, but there's nothing structurally wrong with it," Mammarella said.

"It's about pushing through and blocking it out as much as possible."

Although he had to take it slightly easier in training on days when the injury flared up, Mammarella said he is still on track to crack his goal of lifting 300kg in total.

If he can do so, he believes, a medal is a distinct possibility.

"It's going to be very competitive, we've got the silver medallist from the Commonwealth Games [Kyle Bruce] competing in my category," Mammarella said.

"It's going to be tough to beat him, obviously, but if I can get close to that total, I think a medal is certainly on the cards."

This will be Mammarella's third nationals campaign, but the first one for which he has had to travel out of state.

Despite his prior experience, he "always" feels nervous before big competitions. But his two prior trips have left him aware of what to expect when he competes on Saturday.

"It certainly helps if you've competed in large competitions, especially at this level," Mammarella said.

"At the end of the day, you're on a stage and everyone's watching you. Some people can get intimidated by that, so I think if you've been there and done it before, you know what to expect."

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