IMAGE – Getty Images

Weightlifter Tia-Clair Toomey last night delivered a faultless performance in front of her home state crowd in the Women’s 58 kilogram to win Gold for Australia.

By Maddison Jeffery

The reigning CrossFit Games champion sent the Australian crowd into a frenzy having recorded a winning total of 201kg with six perfect lifts at her maiden Games.

Toomey’s extraordinary performance, featuring two personal bests culminated in a heart-stopping dual to edge out Canadian favourite Tali Darsigny by just 1kg.

Darsigny lifted 112kg with her final lift for a total of 201kg, and Toomey needed to lift 114kg to earn the top position on the dais.

The 24-year-old Queenslander delivered.

It was a fairy tale result for Toomey, who dedicated her performance to her late cousin who died suddenly in a car accident last week.

“She was there lifting that barbell with me … that was dedicated to her,” an emotional Toomey said.

“It was a lot of shock because it was quite a sudden accident and something no one in our family expected,” Toomey said.

It was after the medal ceremony when Toomey took time to embrace her family, and feel the impact of what has been a rollercoaster week of emotions.

“I haven’t actually had a chance to really grieve or process it because I had a job to do when I came here.”

The result is a dramatic improvement on Toomey’s 14th-place finish at the Rio Olympics, which was only her third international weightlifting competition.