Golden fightback for kettlebell champion

Haylee Redfern has two new national titles and her sights set on the next international competition. The Forbes kettlebell athlete has won gold in the Professional Division Long Cycle U65kg and the Professional Division Jerk U65kg at the 2025 Girevoy Sport National Championships in Perth. It’s a stepping stone to her next personal challenge: the International Union of Kettlebell Lifting championships in China this month. Both represent an incredible journey of recovery since she was seriously injured in the lead-up to the WKSF World Championships in Italy earlier this year. Haylee set a record at that event – but came home to work with her doctors and coaches on a training program that would see her return to full capacity for future sport. On return, she found her injuries were even more extensive than she’d known before competing in Italy. Haylee knew she had torn her trapezius and rhomboid muscles away from the vertebrae on both sides of her upper back, further testing showed she had six bulging discs and three bone bruises on her spine. Her doctor developed a month-by-month action plan and although Haylee felt underprepared for the nationals, she was there and again successful. The program has seen the champion putting in the miles running to keep up her cardiovascular fitness, and working on cable machines in the gym, rather than lifting actual kettlebells. “I had no expectations going in there but I wasn’t that far off getting a PB which was really good for me, it was a good confidence boost,” Haylee said. “I’d only done the rehab training, which was a lot of commercial gym (work) on cables and machines. “But as far as lifting kettlebells it was next to none leading into nationals.” Commitment has paid off: the recovery has gone well. “I’m back training at full capacity, I feel really really good,” she said. The championships to be held in China are expected to be the highest level Haylee has yet competed at and that’s a challenge she’s looking forward to. “I want that experience,” she said. At this competition, she’ll compete with two 16kg kettlebells, again in the long cycle and jerk, which is shoulder to overhead without the swing. There’s only a small team of six Australians making the trip but Haylee and a Queensland teammate are also planning to compete in the relay. “We would usually have four athletes but two of us will alternate three-minute stints,” Haylee explained. “No expectations we’re just going to give it everything we’ve got and have fun.”

Golden fightback for kettlebell champion

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