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We wanted to quickly update the introduction to this interview following Kate's win in the 71kg Category at the Pattaya World Championships on the 23rd September! Huge congratulations to Kate for her gold medals across the board with a112KG snatch, 136KG clean & jerk and 248KG total! Kate broke 9 records, including the junior world record snatch! If you hadn't already heard of her, you sure have now :D Congratulations again to Kate.
At 20 years old Kate Nye has already established herself as a big name in american weight lifting, in a very competitive team!
Only this week Kate became Pan American champion of the -71kg category! With 3 gold medals she also smashed 16 (!!) records, junior and senior & American & Pan American! Every lift she made during her 6/6 performance broke at least one record.
Kate hit an incredible 245kg total with a 110kg snatch and 135kg clean & jerk.
With the Fiji Junior Worlds in less than a month, Kate is already in strong contention for an Olympic Games qualifying spot for Tokyo. She is going to be very exciting to watch in all upcoming competitions…
We would like to thank Kate for taking time to answer our questions in her unbelievably busy schedule with family, university, training and competing. Find out about her background, training, goals and views below.
1. So how often do you actually max out on your program?
We don’t go for PR’s in the snatch and clean & jerk very often, maybe 2-3 times leading up to a meet. But, if we’re feeling good, sometimes we’ll go heavier to strike while the iron’s hot.
2. What is one big change you’ve experienced going from Crossfit to dedicated Weightlifting coaching and programming?
I am not as hungry as a weightlifter! When I was doing CrossFit, I felt constantly hungry and tired. Weightlifting is just a great fit for me and I’m much happier doing it!
3. Do you think that there is a risk for people to overcomplicate their programs when it comes to extras and accessory work?
I honestly don’t know too much about this! Core work is extremely important though and I don’t think there’s too much risk if you’re just doing accessories, but it’s definitely possible if you go to heavy and injure yourself.
4. You’ve had your share of injuries and surgery, do you have any tips for how to deal with recovery periods and breaks from training?
Staying positive and taking it slow post-injury is the only way to go! You just have to keep your eyes on the end game and don’t rush your progress. Mentality is the most important aspect in coming back, and keeping your mind strong will result in a smoother recovery.
5. Your motivation to train on your own is really impressive, do you still only see your coach once in a while/mostly train alone and what is your drive to get in the gym every session?
Yes, I see my coach once a week and train the rest of the time on my own. I honestly just love weightlifting and I usually want to get a training session in! If you enjoy what you do, it’s not that hard to stay motivated and get it done!
6. We have a lot of youth lifters and lots of girls coming in to the sport who are still a bit worried about weightlifting not seeming ‘girly’ or that it might change their body composition unfavourable, what would you say to young girls to encourage them and break down these stereotypes?
I would say that girls should focus more on how they feel rather than what they may or may not look like while lifting. Stay confident in your abilities, and in my opinion, lifting looks darn good on women!!
7. How do you keep calm and focus yourself at big competitions, specially after travelling long distances and having your usual routine broken down?
Lots and lots of visualization and focus. I try very hard to focus on the actual lifting and do my best to ignore any external factors that may influence my performance negatively.
8. We find that weightlifting is a really great focus for people suffering from anxiety and other mental health problems, do you have any thoughts on using weightlifting for wellbeing and how it can help you to take your mind off all the other things we have to do (school, work, life events)?
Yes! Weightlifting is like therapy to me, and it does help me blow off steam when I’m stressed from school, work, and life in general. My favorite part of the day is usually with a barbell in my hands!
9. Who are your positive influences in your athletic career, and why? Do you have a really supportive family, who are athletes you have looked up to etc.
My husband and family are extremely supportive of my career and I am very grateful to them. I really look up to athletes like Morghan King, Sarah Robles, and Jenny Arthur! They were the first American Olympian lifters I watched while being a lifted and they are just classy examples of being great people and athletes.
10. The USA team is looking very competitive for Olympic qualifying spots, but your qualifying period is looking awesome so far. What other competitions do you have coming up in this time and are you feeling good about qualifying? We know you have been looking in to the weight categories a lot, have you been able to make a decision on what will be the healthiest move for you?
I will be aiming for the 76 class for Tokyo 2020. Team USA has some incredible talent and I’m just proud to be in the mix. I’m working incredibly hard to get there and that’s all I can do. I will be attending Junior World Championships and Junior Pan Am Championships in the coming months!!
Kate Nye with Charlotte & Ryan, Canterbury Strength
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