MITTAGONG powerlifter Eve Vece has set herself big goals as she prepares for the toughest challenge of her career.
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The 17-year-old is in training ahead of the Oceania and Asia Raw Powerlifting Championships, to be held in Melbourne this December.
Vece isn't just happy to be taking part - she wants to make a lasting impression.
She has qualified as an A grade lifter and will compete in the 52kg sub-junior class.
"I would like to break some records and the experience will be good," she said.
Vece qualified to represent Australia after a suburb performance at her first competition , the NSPC Raw Open in Wollongong.
The dynamic teenager set a new national bench record of 50kg in the sub-junior division at 52kg body weight.
For her first bench press, she lifted 47.5kg to break the previous national record of 45kg.
To cap off a massive event, she then broke the Australian squat record with a lift of 90.5kg, but it was not officially recorded due to a technical error.
Vece's total across her three lifts was 230kg, with an 82.5kg squat, 50kg bench press and 97.5kg deadlift.
The Highlands athlete has continued to work hard since the NSPC Raw Open.
She trains five days a week at Plus Fitness 24/7 at Mittagong, where she also works.
Vece is guided by her coach and boss Tom Willoughby, who predicted her potential for the sport earlier this year.
"Tom saw that I was quite strong and he wrote me a powerlifting program," she said.
"I've loved it ever since."
She will remain in the sub-junior category next year before moving up to the junior class in 2016 and is optimistic about her future in powerlifting.
"While I'm in the sub-juniors, I want to break as many records as I can."
VIDEO: Mittagong teenager Eve Vece shows off her powerlifting technique at training. Video by Josh Bartlett