Medea Jones | Sport

I am a full-time student-athlete living in Tauranga representing New Zealand in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. Currently I am studying at the University of Waikato pursuing a Degree in Business.

My sporting life began at the age of four through Gymnastics where I competed for 13 years. I represented NZ twice in International Power Tumbling at both the 2016 Australian National Championships and the Indo-Pacific Championships, where I achieved a 3rd place podium medal.

In 2019 I transitioned into Olympic Weightlifting where in a short time-frame I have attained International grade status. I am the current Oceania Junior Champion in my weight class and hold multiple National titles along with NZ Youth records. In 2023 I will compete for New Zealand twice on the international stage at the 2023 IWF World Junior Championships in Mexico and at the 2023 OWF Oceania Junior Championships in Samoa.

Sport has taught me a lot about Discipline, Dedication, Resilience, Teamwork, and Respect. These are skills which have transferred into every aspect of my school, family, and community life. I love every aspect of Weightlifting, and know that our sport can not thrive without Volunteers. I studied to become a weightlifting Technical Official and currently volunteer as a Referee at National, Championship, and Club level events. I am working towards gaining the highest level of qualifications to become an International referee for Weightlifting NZ, and sit on the organizing committee for an upcoming Paris Olympics Qualifying competition that NZ is hosting in February 2024.
I haven’t lost touch with my gymnastics background, working as a relief gymnastics coach for athletes age 5-15.

Eventually, I would like to use my business degree to work for High Performance Sport to bring mainstream awareness to Olympic Weightlifting and address the specific needs of our sport. NZ has so much untapped Olympic Weightlifting talent in our many diverse communities, but there are obstacles for many. I want to play a part in creating a better environment for the next generation of Weightlifting’s Olympic Athletes.