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Oceanic weightlifting competitors don't win—usually. Barring an intimate handful of athletes, the region lags behind Europe, Asia, and Pan America, where nearly all of the world's best barbell movers reside.
Kiana Elliott is part of that small handful. Elliott, 27, has competed internationally over 30 times in 12 years. She's placed as low as 33rd at the World Championships, and performed as remarkably as finishing second to one of North Korea's all-time best athletes.
After all this time, Kiana is certain she's got more to give.
We caught up with Kiana as our featured athlete in the Jul. 25, 2025 issue of the Weightlifting House newsletter.
She talked to us about the state of Oceanic weightlifting, the struggles of her bid for Paris, and why she thinks her best Total is still to come.
Weightlifting House x Kiana Elliott
Weightlifting House (WH): What did you focus on in training between the 2024 IWF World Cup and your recent win at the Oceania Championships?
- In Context: Kiana made a last-ditch attempt to get to Paris at the Cup. At the Oceania Champs, she set her best Total in three years.
Kiana Elliott (KE): "I'm very excited by the Total I put together. We're planning for the Commonwealth Championships in August, and the quick turnaround time meant not squeezing out every possible kilo at this competition.
I'm focusing on using more brainpower for weightlifting; smarter decisions, planning, and reviewing my training in a more structured manner.
Previously, I was driven by working hard and training more, and more, and more, often overdoing it and needing to manage the repercussions. Maybe there's something to being older and wiser!"
WH: What was your most memorable IWF performance and why?
- In Context: According to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) registry, Kiana has performed at 33 international meets since 2013, starting when she was 16.
KE: "2016 Junior Worlds in Tbilisi, Georgia. Bronze in the Total and silver in the snatch to Rim Un-Sim! It was a huge achievement at the time. It had been something like 15 years since an Australian had won a medal at Junior Worlds.
My first Junior Worlds was in 2014. I remember my goal being to not come last in my group. I placed second-to-last. To earn a place on the podium two years later was such a stark difference."
WH: Was attempting to qualify for Paris 2024 as a 59, rather than a 71, a mistake? How did you weigh that decision?
- In Context: Like many athletes, the Olympic categories forced Kiana's hand when her preferred division of 64 was not selected for the Games.
KE: "Initially, I didn't even want to cut to 64, let alone 59. Weightlifting is about lifting more weight, not about achieving a certain body weight.
In the end, I would have needed 214 at 71. [At the World Cup] I was chasing 216 at 59."
Editor's Note: Kiana snatched 95KG and clean & jerked 114KG at the 2024 World Cup for a 209KG Total.
"I already achieved my Olympic dream in Tokyo. Throughout my unsuccessful Paris campaign, we aimed high and achieved more for it. I set my career-best Sinclair at Oceanias in 2024, the second highest women's Sinclair in Australian history.
I have no regrets. It's exactly what I was aiming for—to be a better weightlifter."
WH: You're known for your technique. What were some of the foundations of your weightlifting instruction?
KE: "I was very lucky to start my weightlifting journey early with my coach, Martin Harlowe. We've worked hard at my technique over the years.
I agree I have a physical aptitude for the sport, but my technical coaching has played just as much of a role.
Plus, I pride myself on attention to detail. My background in elite gymnastics, trained by coaches who prized quality, helped me carry that mindset into weightlifting.
I focus on the quality of every single rep, not just 'making lifts.'"
WH: In your opinion, what's holding Oceanic weightlifting back from success at the World or Olympic levels?
- In Context: At the last five Senior World Championships, the only Oceanic athlete to win medals of any sort was Eileen Cikamatana.
KE: "[In Oceania], weightlifting as a sport has to compete for attention against more mainstream sports like rugby or cricket.
But the region has some standouts:
- Ele Opeloge won silver in London 2012 in the Women's +75KG category.
- Morea Baru got 6th in Rio in the 62KG class, 5th in Paris 2024, and is an underrated and excellent technician.
- Eileen Cikamatana is a wonderful human and is just on the start of her huge achievements.
To become an internationally competitive weightlifter takes a lot, regardless of which region you come from. Each of the Oceanic countries are different in terms of resources, culture, population, and more.
I've watched the landscape in the sport, especially in the Women's classes, in Australia, change dramatically.
When I first started, 200KG Totals were rare for any non-superheavyweight. Now we have multiple 69KG Juniors achieving that and wanting more!
WH: Does the Oceanic Weightlifting Federation (OWF) do a good job in supporting its athletes? What kind of support do you receive?
KE: "The OWF has given myself and my coach generous support, especially in recent years, for which I'm very grateful.
The OWF is focused on the whole region, and it's great to see them cultivate coaches and athletes.
In Australia, I've been very lucky over the years to be funded for travel for most events through the Australian Weightlifting Federation and Australian Sports Commission.
I'm also well supported in my little sporting project closer to home. I have resources through the South Australian Sports Institute such as a facility, physiotherapy, massage, dietetics, and so on.
It would be impossible to acquire these resources myself at the level I require. However, in Australia, I know of only one weightlifter who is able to train full-time without working."
WH: Do people ever recognize you as a professional weightlifter in Australia?
KE: "That's quite a nice question! It's interesting to have moved from Sydney to Adelaide—I've observed that more people know of weightlifting in South Australia because of Dean Lukin, gold medalist from the 1984 Olympics.
I get recognized very occasionally. The sport tends to surface in traditional media only around the Olympic or Commonwealth Games.
Weightlifting meets in Australia are mostly for family and friends. Unless someone is already active, things are pretty low-key."
WH: After over a decade competing internationally, do you believe your best Total is still ahead?
KE: "Yes, and that's why I'm still here training. I believe this body and mind are capable of more.
I want to continue pushing the limits of what's possible for myself. Part of that comes from my lived experience as an Australian weightlifter.
I know the importance of having role models in your own back yard, living and breathing, being fallible and human."
Editor's Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
