Former Irish scrum-half seeks Olympic weightlifting call-up

By Chris Cottrell, Sportsbeat

NEARLY ALL scrum-halves think they can punch above their weight but now former Richmond No.9 Kris Greene is proving that by aiming for London 2012 - as a weightlifter.

NEW AMBITION: Former Richmond scrum half Kris Greene is now targeting a London 2012 appearance with Ireland - as a weightlifter

The ex-Ireland Under-20 international was a regular for the National Two South heavyweights up until February.

But his talent down the gym was soon spotted by elite weightlifting coach David Woodhouse, who encouraged the 22-year-old to put his rugby career on hold.

And the lure of Olympic glory with Ireland proved too strong for Greene to resist.

"I did quite a bit of weightlifting with the under 18s at Leinster and it was something I enjoyed but I've always loved rugby, so I never really thought about taking it on more seriously," said Greene, who trains and studies at St Mary's University College in Twickenham.

"But when I met David (Woodhouse) he seemed to think I could do quite well with it. He had quite big aims for me and said I had a good chance of competing at the Olympics, so I thought why not.

"It had been my plan to carry on with both and in the first month I just thought I'd see how it goes but it was just too difficult. Doing running drills three times a week with rugby becomes impossible.

"I got a little bit of stick from the lads when I first said I was stopping but mostly they were just interested and they were supportive.

"The fact that they are in the city I live in is obviously fantastic and hopefully if I make it, my family and friends will all be able to watch."