'Atmosphere was great': Club ready for second edition of weightlifting event

The Bathurst Weightlifting Club, which is based out of the BXSC gym, have recently opened up entries to the event, to be held on June 16.

Event organiser and BXSC coach Patrick Halsey said the early interest from both locals and visitors has everyone excited to see the event roll around again.

"It shows that this sport is more than a passing fad and that there's definitely a lot of interest," he said.

"There's interest not only in the sport but also with supporting and coaching. It's really good to see.

"We had probably six athletes competing last time. Over the next month we're looking at upwards of 14 athletes competing at a variety of events.

"It does feel a little different this time. You never know what to expect when you first run these sorts of events but now things feel a bit more stable and we know what to expect

"I feel like we know how to make the most out of the event this time. This is special in a way because there's nothing like this in regional areas, and it draws a lot of people all the way from Dubbo, Newcastle and everywhere inbetween."

Halsey is hopeful of recreating the electric environment at the gym which was present for the 2023 inaugural event.

"The atmosphere was great last year. We have a lot of athletes competing in a short period of time, people firing on all cylinders and a great crowd," he said.

"Because it's something still quite new out this way there's a bit of a novelty factor about it as well."

Like last year, the Bathurst event is well placed on the Weightlifting NSW calendar.

Halsey is hopeful many travelling competitors will take advantage of the Bathurst event's proximity to the state championships.

"A lot of our athletes will be off to State Championships, which are on just a few weeks after this. Then we'll have athletes qualifying for a couple of national spots," he said.

"It's a really exciting time for the club. There's a couple of big short term goals for our group."

The NSW Senior Championships will follow the Bathurst event on July 12.