From Power Lifting to Power Praying
"I started power lifting when I was 18. But in 1996 I saw the 'Snatch' and the 'Clean and Jerk' in the Olympics in Atlanta and saw that as my opportunity to make the Olympic team,” says Hammon.
“Make the Olympic team” is an understatement. It was at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney that Shane broke two American records in the 'Snatch' and the 'Clean and Jerk.'
The 'Snatch' is snatching the bar from the ground over your head in one move, and the 'Clean and Jerk' is taking the bar from the ground to your chest and then jerking it over your head. Shane had a lot of work ahead to make the switch from a less structured type of lifting to a more technical lift.
“When I first saw it, it looked so professional. That’s what drew me at first. Then I started asking around and was told that I was too old. I was 24 at the time. They said, ‘You’re too old to learn the techniques; by the time you learn them, you’ll be too old to lift,’” Shane says.
But with a burning desire in his heart, Shane pressed on.
“I just felt like I was supposed to do it, so I prayed about it. I was asking God what to do, and really felt like He told me to go for it. Obviously it was the right decision listening to God, obviously it was Him telling me, because after eight months of training, I was National Champion,” says Shane.
With a National Championship under his belt, Shane realized his abilities were a gift, and trusting God has become more of a priority in Shane’s lifting ever since.
“When I totally dedicated everything to God and kept Him first in my life, that’s when things really started getting crazy. The Holy Spirit started coming on when I started competing,” says Shane.
With the 2004 Olympics approaching, Shane’s experience in the 1999 Nationals reminds him of the source of his confidence.
“I injured my wrist three weeks before I competed. I could not hold an empty bar over my head, so I went in the back. The day of competition I went back there and I was like, ‘God, if You want me to lift, take this pain away from my wrist.’ I just started lifting. I put 70 kilos on a bar, which is 154 pounds, warmed up, and the pain went away. I went out and broke three American records that day,” says Shane.
The following year, Shane’s confidence would be challenged once again at the 2000 Olympics.
“I was really scared, and I wanted to actually leave, and I just started praying a lot. By the time I got out there and started warming up, the Holy Spirit was just on me. Right before I went out to lift, a guy broke his arm. It was scaring me to death. So I went out and ended up making all three snatches. Broke the first one, the second was a new American record, and the third was a new American record,” says Shane.
With his confidence rooted in God, Shane is lifting all obstacles in his training to ensure he will be ready for Athens.
"This time I’m training to the point of injury. I’m going to be depending on God a lot because I’m going to be training so hard that I could easily get injured. Jesus means everything to me. I wouldn’tbe anything with out Jesus Christ. He sees me putting in all this work, and Heknows that if I win a medal, I’m going to give the glory to Him and I’mgoing to use it for His Glory,” says Shane.
