Watch: Kiwi weightlifter Cameron McTaggart back flips for joy after enormous final lift

April 7, 2018

Kiwi weightlifter has signed off his 77kg competition with a remarkable backflip, after clearing 160kg in the clean and jerk.

It was McTaggart's last attempt to achieve the mark and his delight was evident, after an earlier slightly disappointing 130kg in the deadlift.

His 290kg total left him in 6th equal place.

His sister, New Zealand's youngest Games athlete Olivia McTaggart, 18, is set to compete in the pole vault alongside favourite Eliza McCartney on Friday.

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In other action from earlier today, Alexis Pritchard’s return to the Commonwealth Games boxing ring was a quick one, utterly dismantling Lesotho’s Mantoa Ranone within 120 seconds of the opening bell.

The Kiwi, fighting in the round of 16 at 57kg, made short work of her 21-year-old rival with the referee ending proceedings before the end of the first of three scheduled rounds.

A flurry of punches from Pritchard within 35 seconds had the referee counting against Ranone, and a second standing eight count on the two minute mark was enough for for the 34-year-old Kiwi to be given the victory.

"That's the kind of start that we wanted, I was really happy with what I did," she said ringside.

“I think we could have done a little bit more but nice to go out and do it!”

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