St David's day Athlete Q&A with Jordan Sakkas

Today is St David’s Day, and to celebrate, we are posting athlete question and answers with two of the top Welsh weightlifters.

First up is Jordan Sakkas

Jordan is currently ranked number 1 in Britain in the men’s 109kg class after securing gold at the 2022 British Championships with a 334kg total. This is an improvement from his outstanding performance at the 2021 British Championships, where the Gold Coast competitor set British U23 records in the snatch, clean & jerk and total, hitting 147kg and 183kg for a combined weight of 330kg. Jordan’s best current competition total is 335kg which he made at the 2021 Welsh Senior Championships.

See what Jordan had to say about training and competing below!

 

How did you get into weightlifting?

My journey started from playing rugby. Wanting to improve my strength and power, I started training in 2013. 

 

Congratulations on some incredible lifting at the British Championships 2022! How are you feeling after securing the gold medal?

Although I would have liked to have done better in my individual performance, I had an amazing time competing and enjoyed my loved ones being there to support me. 

 

How do you stay focussed in a competition environment?

Being truthful focus is never something I’ve particularly struggled with. I try and focus on the processes that I hone in on every day in training and allow the aggression and intensity to build organically. Nothing is forced. 

 

Do you have a pre -competition ritual?

I have no rituals per-say. I have structures I stick to with my nutritionist and physiotherapist i.e. timings of food and warm up routines but all of that looks the same day to day. 

 

What keeps you motivated to train?

For me training itself is a massive source of enjoyment, turning up everyday and seeing people I care about at the gym makes training the easy part. It’s the consistent discipline around that with food, rehab, sleep, hydration etc that is most challenging but my long term goals motivate me to stay disciplined in these areas.  

 

What are your current goals?

My goal is to win the commonwealth games 

 

Who is your biggest weightlifting inspiration?

For me this would be Donny Shankle, a man I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and spending lots of time with. He has shaped my outlook on the sport and the intensity I bring to the platform day in day out. 

 

Finally, what would your advice be to beginners wanting to get involved in the sport?

Find a coach, compete often and train with good people and high standards.