David Liti believes he’s a better athlete following his 13th placing at the Weightlifting World Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
“Gaining more confidence on the big stage is a big thing for me and [coach] Tina, so it’s always good to come back home with new things to work on and gain a bit more experience,” said Liti.
The 22-year-old with South Auckland and Tongan heritage posted a combined total of 395kg, breaking five Oceania records on his way to the 13th placing.
“The experience is always good. I come in feeling all nervous and scared but also excited that I’m among the best of the best in the world.
“I moved up a placing from the 2017 Worlds even with the banned countries back. Things didn’t go the way we expected them to but we did what was necessary to secure the best total possible."
The competition was the first in a string of Tokyo 2020 qualification events that Liti will attend as he works towards the next Olympic Games.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion now has a few months at home before his next big competition in February.
“Now that Worlds is over the Egat Cup is our next aim. It will be an important competition for us to keep building our campaign for Tokyo 2020.”