Joel Selwood has signed up for the 2020 Australian Olympic team, according to Selwood’s manager Tom Petroro. Petroro spoke to the media after his team’s tight win on the weekend, assuring them his latest venture was a serious goal.
“Selwood has always been one to challenge himself, and he sees this as the logical next step.”
Selwood, who has nominated for the category of open men’s weightlifting, did so following his teams 16 point defeat of 2016 minor premier MaherShalalHashBaz. Needing a score of 160 points to beat the 2016 finalist, Selwood pulled out a 175 for Such is ‘Fyfe’ to clinch the victory.
“He’s done this many times in his career for his team. It’s just now, he decided it’s time he received more widespread recognition for the work he does. This week’s win just solidified that thinking.”
Asked if his demands with the Olympic squad would impact upon his football career, maybe even require him to step back from football, Petroro was emphatic that he wouldn’t have to alter his training load at all.
“Come the weekend, he does more than sufficient training to compete at Olympic level. His appearance can be deceptive.”
Asked if Selwood thought he would be able to take out the gold medal, given such a startling career change and limited preparation, Petroro said he was confident he could.
“We’re bullish about his prospects of winning gold. He’s used to stepping up when required, especially as it gets to the pointy end. After carrying the whole team on your back, so a 260 kg clean and jerk becomes relatively straight-forward”.