Swansong for Morgan

03/09/1998

WELSH weightlifter David Morgan has won five golds at four consecutive
Commonwealth Games and is the favourite in the 77kg category for his sixth
gold Swan Song.
Morgan, then 17, won his first gold at the 1982 Brisbane Games and has
never missed a gold medal since.
He won golds at the 1986 Edmonton Games, the 1990 Auckland Games and at
Victoria in 1994, Morgan gave Wales golds in the snatch with a record of
147.5kg and the overall title in the 76kg class.
The gold in clean and jerk went to Damian Brown of Australia.
"This will certainly be my last Games, and I am confident of bowing out
with another gold," said the 33-year-old champion.
Morgan's best in the snatch is 150kg, and his clean and jerk record is
175 which brings his combined total to 325kg.
Rozlimand Haron is the Malaysian in the category and his best of 120kg-
145-265.
The suprising thing is that Wales do not have a weightlifting
development programme.
"No, there is no nationwide programme to groom weightlifters and there
are no incentive schemes to motivate an athlete to excel. We do it for
personal satisfaction."
Six gold medals and gunning for the seventh, and a possible eighth,
Morgan does not consider rewards the right way to groom athletes.
"Winning a gold at Kuala Lumpur is going to be very tough because I laid
off training for three years after Victoria," said Morgan, 33.
"I have only trained for one year for Kuala Lumpur and the challenge is
expected to come from Damian Brown of Australia. Injuries have also been a
problem for the last year.
"If I can outlift him (Brown), the chances of winning a gold is very
good."
Morgan who has been to five Games venues is simply amazed at the
facilities in Malaysia.
"Never have I seen better facilities in my Games career. And I have been
to the last four Games. I can say for sure that Malaysia have built some
of the best stadia in the world while the arrangements at the Games
Village is simply first class," said, Morgan, who is also the Wales team
captain.
Neil Taylor, in the 85kg category, echoed Morgan's view.
"The Games Village and the food is great. I only hope the sun keeps
shining so that I can go home with a tan as well as a medal," said the
1986 bronze medallist.
(END)