This young Maltese weightlifter has a dream: to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
And you can help, through a crowdfunding campaign which has been launched to help Yazmin Zammit Stevens fulfil her goal.
25-year-old Yazmin Zammit Stevens has a dream. She may already be Malta’s Sportswoman of the Year, and the first Maltese woman to ever lift 100kg over her head, but she’s eyeing an even bigger goal now: competing in the weightlifting tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And she has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help get her to that destination.
Her previous accolades – and tenaciousness - bode well for her success. She has already competed in some of the most demanding and arduous competitions in the world: she was the first woman to compete in the European Championships, finishing 15th overall, and she even managed to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast – one of just 13 athletes from all commonwealth nations - where she placed 7th overall.
Yazmin Stevens / Facebook
“The Olympics are the greatest multi-sport games an athlete can dream of participating in. They are also one of the toughest Games to qualify for,” Yazmin says on her crowdfunding page, which has already garnered lots of support. “I have two years of preparation left and we’ve already started the journey to get there. Coming from a small nation where weightlifting, especially for women, has only started becoming popular in the last few years, getting to the Olympics would not only make me proud of myself, but even more so of my country!” she declares.
But commitment to the cause is only one ingredient for success. Over the next two years, Yazmin will be continuously competing at major events around the world, building up her stamina and ability to encounter challenges, and these come with a price tag. She’s launched her crowdfunding campaign – requesting a humble €2,000 – to help her get to the World Championships 2018 in Turkmenistan; the European Championships 2019 in Georgia; the Commonwealth Championships 2019 in Samoa and the top tier 2020 competitive games, going back to the European Championships and, finally, competing in Tokyo. She’s already managed to secure €1,400 out of the total amount, but needs a little more help to get to the finish line!
For more information, check out Yazmin’s crowdfunding campaign on Zaar.